A Different Destiny
by pinkrose064
Summary: Non-Massacre AU: Hashirama succeeded in reaching Madara, creating a very different timeline in which the Uchiha live in peace with the rest of Konoha, but certain people are still a threat. When Aiko and her parents go with Sasuke and Itachi to Sora-ku, Aiko's parents are killed, so Fugaku and Mikoto take her in. How will Sasuke adapt to having a younger sister?
1. Prologue

It had all culminated in a place that would become known as the Valley of the End. Uchiha Madara had faced off against his dearest friend, Senju Hashirama, believing that both his friend and the village they had built together, had betrayed him. In the end, Hashirama had emerged victorious, but he had also succeeded in convincing Madara that he had never tried to deceive him and restored their friendship. It was a victory of the most significant kind. One that would change the course of destiny.

After Madara was brought back into the fold of the village and his clan, he eventually succeeded Hashirama and became the Second Hokage, vowing to protect the village that was the realization of their dreams. Hashirama's brother, Senju Tobirama, eventually got over his aminosity toward the Uchiha Clan and became Madara's trusted advisor, just as he had been toward his brother.

Years passed. Madara was succeeded by his student, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was then succeeded by the student of his student, Namikaze Minato. The village was relatively safe, but wars still happened, and that was where things went wrong.

Following the battle between Hashirama and Madara, Hashirama's wife, Uzumaki Mito, used her clan's secret sealing techniques to seal the nine-tailed fox inside her own body. Years later, as Mito neared the end of her life, a young girl named Uzumaki Kushina was brought to Konoha from Mito's homeland in the Land of Eddies and the Biju was transferred to her. Only certain members of the Uzumaki clan possessed the type of Chakra necessary to restrain the beast.

Uzumaki Kushina married Namikaze Minato and all was well, until Kushina learned that she was pregnant with their child. When Kushina's due date arrived, the Third Hokage revealed the uncomfortable truth to Kushina: the seal used to contain the Kyuubi within her had been weakening over the course of her pregnancy, and when she gave birth, there was a chance that he would break lose. Precautions were taken to prevent this. Kushina was to deliver in a place outside the village, within a barrier, with Minato, who had studied her family's techniques, there to maintain the seal, and with the Hiruzen's wife, Biwako, there as a midwife.

The moment when Uzumaki Naruto was born was when things went very, very wrong. A masked man attacked, killing Biwako and taking the newborn child hostage, forcing the Fourth Hokage to abandon his task of redoing Kushina's seal in order to save his child. Whilst Minato teleported himself and Naruto to safety, the assailant kidnapped Kushina, released the Kyuubi from her body, and took control of it. Then he set it loose upon the unsuspecting Konoha. In order to save the village and his family, the Fourth Hokage rescued Kushina and then sealed the Kyuubi once more. Half of the biju's chakra was sealed back inside of Kushina, in order to preserve her life. The other half was sealed within Naruto, for Minato believed that the child would some day need its power. He performed this task at the cost of his own life.

Following Minato's death, the Third Hokage came out of retirement in order to lead the village, while Kushina retired as a kunoichi in order to raise her son. Konoha rebuilt and was at peace, until the day it became clear that there still more dangers lurking in the shadows.


	2. The Collector

Uchiha Itachi walked through the streets of his clan's district, his five-year-old brother Sasuke following at his heels. Despite being only ten years of age, Itachi was already a genin whose talent was well-known throughout the village. In spite of this, Itachi was a pacifist who much preferred spending time with his baby brother to going on missions. In fact, he was looking forward to this particular excursion.

"Good afternoon, Itachi-kun, Sasuke-chan."

Itachi turned toward the voice and smiled warmly, "Oh, good afternoon, Megumi-san, Nichi-san. And hello to you too, Aiko-chan."

Uchiha Megumi was a woman who had married into the Uchiha Clan, at the cost of being disowned by her own clan. She was a renowned behavioral analyst who currently served as an advisor to the Third Hokage. Her husband, Uchiha Nichi, was a somewhat secretive man who was best-known for having rescuing Megumi during the last war before deciding to spontaneously elope with her. However, to say he was secretive was not to say he was unfriendly. Quite the opposite. Nichi had a warm and unassuming personality that put the people around him at ease.

In fact, it was their daughter Aiko who was the most mysterious of all. A year younger than Sasuke, Aiko was a quiet girl who mostly kept to herself and seemed to be a be a bit shy around anyone except her parents. From the way that she often gazed at her surroundings with her large, black eyes though, Itachi felt that she was actually simply observing people in order to form an opinion about them.

"Where are the two of you off to?" Nichi asked warmly. Sasuke was looking quizzically at Aiko, who was more or less hiding behind her mother's legs.

"We're on our way to Sora-ku to run an errand for Chichiue." Itachi replied.

"Ah! What a coincidence!" Megumi said with a smile, "We were just about to head their ourselves!"

"Oh, really?" Itachi asked.

"Yes." Nichi confirmed with a nod, "I need to restock on ninja tools and Megumi needs to deliver something to Nekobaa."

"This will be Aiko's first time going there. Why don't we all go together?" Megumi suggested.

Sasuke pouted, not liking the idea of having his precious alone time with Itachi interrupted, but Itachi smiled at him. "It's all right, Sasuke. Aiko-Chan can help you with your mission while we're there. It will be good practice for you two in working with others." Sasuke immediately perked up at this being a way to train and enthusiastically agreed.

"Mission?" Megumi asked in confusion.

"I'll explain when we get there." Itachi told her.

兄弟

A few hours later, the group had arrived at Sora-ku, and after greeting Nekobaa and her granddaughter, Tamaki, Itachi accepted a book from her, flipped through the pages, and then found what he wanted.

"Okay Sasuke." He began as he knelt down to his brother's level. "Today you need to find this ninja cat and get its paw print." The older boy held up a photo of the cat in question, "Work together with Aiko-Chan to do it. Figure out the best way to make the greatest use of your individual abilities."

"Right, Niisan!" Sasuke said enthusiastically.

Itachi smiled warmly and turned as Tamaki brought a pair of cat ear headbands to him before holding them out to the younger children. "You'll need these to locate your target."

"What are these?" Aiko asked as she took the pair beneath the ones that Sasuke had grabbed.

Sasuke grinned as he fitted his on his head, "They make the cats think that we're cats too!"

Aiko's eyes widened and she looked back at her headband, "Really? With just these...?"

"That's right." Itachi said as he stood back up. "You two have until we're finished with our business to find him, so you'd better get started."

"Right!" Sasuke exclaimed enthusiastically before running out the door.

"Oh!" Aiko said in surprise before hurrying after the other child.

"What's this thing with gathering paw prints?" Nichi asked in confusion.

Itachi laughed slightly, "Sasuke's been coming here with me on errands for a while, but he would get bored and throw tantrums, so I came up with this as a way to keep him busy."

"He seems to greatly enjoy it." Megumi said with a smile.

"Yes, and it's fun watching him." Itachi said with a nod.

兄弟

A while later, Sasuke and Aiko stood on the rooftop of a building, where they were able to see their target. "There he is." Sasuke remarked. "Now it's just a matter of capturing him. Normally I'd set up a trap and herd him towards it, but since you're here, it would probably be easier if one of us lies in wait and the other chases the target."

"In that case, you should be the one to chase him, Sasuke-senpai." Aiko remarked, "You know how to do it. It's easier for me to lie in wait. Papa has taught me how to suppress my chakra and move without being seen."

Sasuke nodded. Even if he didn't quite like playing the distraction, Aiko's plan made sense. He handed an earpiece to Aiko, put his own in, and then headed out.

A few minutes later, Sasuke chased the ninja cat through the streets, occasionally using kunai and shuriken to prevent it from straying from the path that he wanted it to take. The cat turned a corner, and then yowled as it was caught by the awaiting Aiko.

"There, there." Aiko said gently as she scratched the cat in a place it liked, soothing it almost instantly.

"Wow, you really are good at stealth." Sasuke said as he panted after coming around the corner, "And how did you learn to soothe cats like that?"

"Mama taught me before we came." Aiko replied, apparently forgetting that the cat in her arms thought that she was a female cat herself.

"You're great at massage, kitten." The cat purred, "But don't you think you're a little young for me?"

"Huh?" Aiko said in confusion. Sasuke resisted the urge to laugh and walked over to the girl.

"You'd better hand him to me." He told her with a grin as he held his arms out.

"Oh, okay." Aiko replied before transferring the cat to Sasuke's arms, "Here, hold him like this."

Sasuke smiled as he cradled the cat, "Now all that's left is to take him to Nii—"

Suddenly Aiko gasped, glancing over her shoulder before instantaneously taking the cat back from Sasuke. Before Sasuke—or the cat—could react, she whipped out a small scroll and an inkpad.

"Hey, What are you doing...?!" The cat exclaimed in protest, but he still didn't have time to react before Aiko took hold of his right foreleg, pressed it into the inkpad, and then to the scroll. The cat essentially fainted from shock, but Aiko swiftly rolled up the scroll, grabbed the inkpad, and then grabbed Sasuke's hand and began to run.

"What kind of kittens are you...?" The mortified cat mumbled in a daze.

"Hey! What gives?!" Sasuke demanded as Aiko dragged him along while slipping the scroll and inkpad into a pouch on her waist and retrieving a small object from the pouch.

"Somebody was watching us! Even now, they're following us, I'm sure of it! We need to find a place to hide!" She pulled the cap off the end of the small object she was holding with her teeth, spit it out to the side, then licked the end of the paper. It began to spark and she tossed it into the air as they ran. The object launched into the air and exploded in a small burst of flame.

"So you give away our position?!" Sasuke demanded in alarm.

"That was a signal flare designed by my father in case of emergencies." Aiko explained, "The fuse is made of chakra paper, and can be lit by coming into contact with the fire chakra inherent to our clan. Furthermore, the small flame it produces contains the chakra of the one who activated it."

"So even if your parents don't _see _the flare, they'll _feel_ it." Sasuke realized.

"Right." Aiko replied, "But until they find us, we need to play hide-and-seek, and we need to play really well."

兄弟

Meanwhile, Aiko's parents and Itachi were still chatting with Nekobaa, but Itachi looked toward the door with slight worry. "I really thought that Sasuke and Aiko-Chan would be heading back by now, but their auras don't seem to be heading this way..."

Suddenly the eyes of all three Uchihas widened as they felt a burst of Aiko's chakra.

"What was that...?" Itachi questioned.

"It was a signal flare I gave to Aiko in case of emergencies." Nichi said grimly, "Once activated, it releases a burst of the user's chakra, so that even if their allies aren't in a place where they can see the flare, they can still feel it."

"Aiko would never use something so important as a toy. They must be in some kind of trouble." Megumi said with equal gravity.

Itachi's frown deepened, "There aren't any ninja cats in Sora-ku that could pose that much of a danger to them..."

"I know." Megumi replied, "You would never send Sasuke-Chan out to gather their paw prints if you thought it would place him in genuine danger. Which most likely means that Aiko activated the flare because of a _human."_

Nichi nodded in agreement, "Aiko's an observant girl. If someone was watching them, she probably noticed them. There's no choice, we'll have to track them down. They're probably going to suppress their chakra, so we'll have to use the Sharingan to find them."

"The ninja cats might be able to help you as well." Nekobaa remarked, but Nichi shook his head.

"Aiko's smart on top of being observant, even though those headbands won't fool a human, she'd probably insisted on keeping them in place to avoid being noticed by the cats and causing an uproar among them. Beyond that, if the cats think that she and Sasuke are cats too, they may be able to enlist their aid."

兄弟

Just as Nichi had predicted, Aiko and Sasuke were currently hiding behind a pile of crates in an abandoned warehouse, a ninja cat by their side.

"You kittens hide here." The cat told them, "We'll deal with any human that comes in here."

"Thank you." Aiko whispered back, "Oh, but, if you see a human wearing the Uchiha crest, let them through. They're our allies."

"Got it." The cat said with a nod before jumping up to lie in wait with the other cats.

Aiko sighed and looked at Sasuke, "We need to suppress our chakra as much as possible. Papa and your brother have the Sharingan, so they'll still be able to find us. We need to avoid being found until they get here."

Sasuke nodded and focused on doing as Aiko said.

A few moments later, a man stepped into the warehouse and looked around, only to immediately dodge as a ninja cat leapt out at him. "Heh." He chuckled, "I see you kids managed to recruit some help, but it's not going to matter." A moment later, all the cats collapsed. Sasuke and Aiko looked at each other in confusion, before Aiko placed a finger to her lips. She looked around the crates carefully and caught sight of the man's eyes, before she quietly gasped and covered Sasuke's eyes with her hand while shutting her own eyes tightly.

"Don't look." She hissed as quietly as possible, "He has a visual prowess... without the Sharingan, we—"

"Oh? So neither of you have the Sharingan?" The man asked as he stepped around the crates, causing Aiko to gasp and whimper as she instinctively curled up tighter next to Sasuke, "That's too bad, but at least the potential is still there."

"What do you want with the Sharingan?" Nichi suddenly asked as he and Megumi dropped down from a hole in the roof of the building, "You have the Ketsuryugan, so you shouldn't have any use for the Sharingan."

"Oh?" The man said with interest, "You know of this visual prowess of mine?"

"The Ketsuryugan... the visual prowess wielded by the Chinoike Clan, who were thought to have been destroyed by the Uchiha Clan during the Era of Warring States." Nichi answered, "Its genjutsu abilities are said to rival that of the Sharingan."

"Heh. You're well informed." The man said, "But I have no interest in the history between our clans. As for why I want the Sharingan, well, that isn't quite accurate. What I really want is a _child_ who possesses the Sharingan, or at least the potential to awaken it."

"A child?" Nichi asked with narrowed eyes. His own Sharingan was active, while Megumi had her eyes closed.

"That's right." The man said with a nod, "You might say that I am a collector. That is, my hobby is collecting Kekkei Genkai, or more specifically, children who possess them. The more rare the trait, the better. That said, the Sharingan isn't necessarily the rarest of abilities, but since the Uchiha live in the safety of a large village like Konohagakure, obtaining a child who has it is quite difficult. I actually came here to Sora-Ku on other business when what do I see but two talented children running through the streets with the Uchiha Crest on their backs. It was an opportunity I couldn't waste. That said, while I wasn't going to great lengths to conceal my presence, I didn't expect the little girl to notice me, or to have that signal flare on her."

"I'm a cautious man." Nichi remarked calmly, "I've trained my daughter to be aware of her surroundings and be prepared for emergencies."

The man grinned, "All the more reason to take her then."

Nichi's eyes narrowed and he readied a kunai, "We won't allow you to take _either_ of them! Megumi!"

"Right!" Megumi replied as she and Nichi dashed forward to attack the man.

"Where's Niisan?" Sasuke asked nervously, still keeping his eyes closed.

"Probably hiding nearby." Aiko whispered back, "Papa probably told him to hang back in case he and Mama need support."

"Will they be okay?" Sasuke asked. He knew nothing of Nichi and Megumi's abilities.

"I-It's okay." Aiko managed uncertainly, "Mama has sparred with Papa a lot to be able to fight without getting caught in genjutsu."

The two children remained huddled as the battle raged on, but suddenly a cry of pain pierced through the chaos.

"Papa!" Aiko screamed at the same time her mother called out to her husband. Both had recognized his voice and had instinctively opened their eyes to look. What happened next took mere seconds, but time seemed to slow down to Aiko.

Her father was falling, a gash across his torso. Her mother was caught in a genjutsu and crumpled lifelessly to the ground. The man turn and ran toward the two children before he was stopped by the ten-year-old Itachi. Somewhere in all of this, Aiko screamed.

"I won't allow you to take them!" Itachi declared as he held the assailant's kunai back with his short sword.

The man chuckled, "You have good eyes, but I prefer to avoid older children. They're more difficult to train. Besides, judging by your skill, I'm guessing that you're already a full-fledged Shinobi in Konoha."

Itachi said nothing as he glared at the man, but the stare-off was interrupted mere seconds later by the frightened voice of Sasuke.

"Niisan! Aiko passed out!" The younger boy cried in a panic.

_'The trauma probably awakened her Sharingan, which quickly drained her chakra.'_ Itachi reasoned to himself before turning his head slightly toward Sasuke, "Sasuke! Carry Aiko-chan back to Nekobaa's place! I'll catch up with you!"

Sasuke's lip quivered, wanting to protest, but then his eyes steeled with determination and he nodded, "Right!" With strength that defied his age, the five-year-old lifted the unconscious Aiko onto his back and ran off as Itachi continued fighting the strange man.

"Oh? So the boy is your brother then. I suppose that explains the angry look in your eyes." The collector remarked.

"Tell me who you are." Itachi demanded calmly.

The man grinned slightly, "My name is Oyashiro En."


	3. Returning to Konoha

Sasuke dropped to his knees in exhaustion when he reached Nekobaa, and the elderly woman just managed to catch the unconscious Aiko when she fell off of his back.

"What happened?" The woman asked the panting and frightened Sasuke.

"A-A man came after us..." Sasuke managed, "He wanted to... to take us... because we're from the Uchiha Clan... We tried to hide, but... he found us... Nichi-jisan and Megumii-bachan tried to fight him, but..." Tears filled the five-year-old's eyes as he noticed the tear stains on Aiko's cheeks, "I-If only I was stronger... I-I could've... A-And Niisan is still..."

"I'm right here Sasuke." Itachi said reassuringly from the doorway. The younger boy whipped his head around to look at his brother, and Itachi's eyes widened as they took in the sight of the Sharingan in Sasuke's eyes. He immediately crossed the space between them and hugged Sasuke tightly to comfort him. "It's all right, Sasuke." He said comfortingly, "It wasn't your fault." Sasuke barely had time to let out a sob before he passed out in Itachi's arms. Itachi tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his own eyes and turned to Nekobaa, "I should take them back to the village."

"No, you should rest." Nekobaa said firmly. "It doesn't matter how skilled you are, Itachi, you can't possibly carry two unconscious children half your size back to the village with a target on your backs. I'll send word to your father that you need back up. In the meantime, you should sleep too. You must've used a lot of your chakra to defeat a man who succeeded in killing Nichi and Megumi."

"I didn't defeat him." Itachi said in frustration, "He just retreated when he realized that Sasuke had probably made it back here and his chance was gone."

"Even so, you survived, but you still must be tired. Get some sleep. With any luck, the children will have recovered by the time reinforcements arrive."

兄弟

The following morning, Nekobaa looked at Aiko as she sat on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. "Aiko-chan, please eat." Sasuke and Itachi were already eating in front of her, but Aiko merely shook her head.

"Aiko-chan," Itachi said gently, "You used up most of your chakra yesterday. You need to eat to replenish it." Aiko shook her head silently and laid her head on her knees, effectively curling into a ball.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and a moment later, Itachi's best friend, Uchiha Shisui, entered the room, accompanied by Itachi's childhood friend, Uchiha Izumi.

"Shisui... Izumi..." Itachi said in slight surprise.

"Your father wanted to come." Shisui told him as he shut the door behind Izumi, "But he had other obligations, so he sent us."

"Are you guys okay?" Izumi asked with worry.

"We're unharmed," Itachi assured her, "But Aiko-chan refuses to eat."

"I'm not surprised." Izumi replied, "When I first awakened my Sharingan, I didn't feel like eating for days."

"But I awakened my Sharingan and I'm still hungry..." Sasuke said in confusion.

"It's not quite that..." Izumi said awkwardly. She knelt down next to Aiko and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Aiko-chan."

Aiko looked up at Izumi, then suddenly threw herself into her arms. "Izumi-neechan!" She cried before sobbing into Izumi's chest.

Izumi stroked her short brown hair soothingly, "Shh... It's all right." When the younger girl's sobs had died down a bit, Izumi gently pulled her back slightly, "You need to eat, Aiko-chan."

"I'm not hungry..." Aiko muttered.

Izumi smiled knowingly and reached into her waist pouch. "I know, but just eat this." She held a round ball out to Aiko.

"What is it?" Aiko asked in confusion.

"Try it. It's good." Izumi encouraged. Aiko pouted at Izumi's evasion of her question, but she accepted the ball and bit into it. Her eyes almost instantly lit up in delight.

"What is this?!"

Izumi smiled, "It's a food pill. When I awakened my Sharingan, my mom made these for me since I didn't feel like eating."

"Izumi-neechan, you awakened your Sharingan during the Kyuubi attack on Konoha before I was born, right?"

"That's right." Izumi said with a nod, "My father died protecting Okaasan and I, and I awakened my Sharingan as a result."

Aiko looked down sadly, "My mama and papa..."

Izumi hugged the younger child close to her again, "I know. But you aren't alone, Aiko. You are a member of the Uchiha. The clan won't abandon you. Did you know? The kanji for clan means 'one family'. Even though we have different parents, we are all one family."

"The same way everyone in Konoha are supposed to be friends?" Aiko asked, "Papa said that even though we don't always get along, we're all part of the same village, so we should be friends."

Izumi smiled and nodded, "That's right. Your papa and mama are gone, but you have a big family and a village full of friends waiting for you at home. So let's go home, okay?"

Aiko nodded, "Yeah."

Izumi turned to Itachi and Sasuke as she reached into her pouch and pulled out two more food pills. "Here. You guys should eat one too. They'll help replenish your chakra."

"Thanks, but there's no point in giving one to Sasuke. He hates sweet things." Itachi said as he accepted the pill. Izumi blinked, and then burst out laughing.

"Are you sure he's _your_ brother, Itachi-kun?"

"Hey!" Sasuke exclaimed, glaring at Izumi with indignation.

"I'm joking, I'm joking." Izumi said with a wave of her hand, "You're too much like Itachi-kun in other ways to be anything but his brother. It's just funny that your tastes in food are completely opposite."

Sasuke blinked, "I'm similar to Niisan? How?"

Izumi smiled at him, "Dedication to your training, for one. And you don't seem to be very sociable for another." Sasuke made a face in response to that, as if he didn't know whether to be pleased or insulted.

Suddenly Aiko's eyes alighted with remembrance, "Oh! I almost forgot!" She reached into her own pouch and pulled out the small scroll from the day before, holding it out to Itachi. "Here. The paw print you told us to collect."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly as he accepted the scroll from Aiko, "You were able to collect it?"

Aiko nodded, "I sensed that man's presence just when we had captured the target. I collected the paw print as quickly as I could before making a run for it."

Itachi sweat-dropped slightly, "Why would you bother with that if you knew you were being watched?"

"A Shinobi always puts the mission first." Aiko answered simply. Itachi face-palmed and Izumi sweat-dropped.

"She's as gung-ho as you and your brother..." The older girl remarked.

"Aiko-chan is actually our second cousin..." Itachi replied, his exasperation clear on his face.

"That explains it." Izumi replied.

Shisui smiled, amused by the scene, before returning to the task at hand, "Let's head back to Konoha now. Izumi, you carry Aiko-chan. Itachi, I'll leave Sasuke-kun to you."

"I can keep up on my own!" Sasuke insisted. Shisui gave him an apologetic smile, knowing that the child was probably feeling babied at the moment.

"I'm sure you can, normally. But under the circumstances, we can't take our time. We have to return to Konoha as quickly as possible to avoid further trouble. That being said, if we should encounter trouble, Izumi, I want you to take the children and hide. You're not a genin yet, so you should avoid getting involved in combat if you can help it."

"Right!" Izumi said with a nod of confirmation.

"Itachi, you'd probably already be a Chunin if you'd been given a chance to take the test. If anything happens, you'll be my support." Shisui added.

"Understood." Itachi said with a nod. Sasuke secretly marveled at Shisui forming a plan and giving directions ahead of time, as if this were a real mission.

Aiko buried her face in Izumi's back to hide her expression. To her, the reason for Shisui's gravity was obvious. Her parents had been killed by a man who had been trying to kidnap her and Sasuke. It was only natural that Shisui, who was already a jonin, was giving this task the same levity that he would an escort mission. Nonetheless, she didn't want Sasuke, who was technically her senior, to notice the "well, duh" expression she had on her face in response to the one of amazement on his own. Nonetheless, she decided to help him understand once they were on their way.

兄弟

"Did you know, Sasuke-senpai?" Aiko began as Izumi ran beside Itachi with her and Sasuke on their backs, "If this were a mission assigned by the Hokage, it would probably be a B-Rank, or maybe even an A-Rank"

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise. "An A-Rank?"

Aiko nodded, casting her gaze to the ground rushing beneath them, "Shisui-san is a jonin, and as he said, your brother would probably be a chunin if he'd been allowed to take the exam. Meanwhile, Izumi-neechan is almost a genin. The normal method of assigning missions is to assign three Genin to a D-Rank with a jonin to supervise them, three genin and a jonin or a team of chunin to a C-rank, a team comprised of Chunin and Jonin to a B-Rank, and usually only Jonin to A-ranks and above. By definition, the risk of combat with enemy ninja makes a mission at least B-Rank, but the man from yesterday defeated my mother and father, who were a chunin and jonin, so he must be a criminal of at least A-Rank Level."

"Actually, I think S-Rank may be more likely." Itachi said thoughtfully, "Until yesterday, I never realized that your father was so skilled, Aiko-chan."

"Papa preferred to keep his abilities a secret." Aiko replied, "Only Mama knew the true extent of them. Papa's specialty was infiltration, and he said that success in those types of missions began with nobody, not even the people of your own village, being overly familiar with your name and abilities. The only time Papa ever particularly stood out in Konoha was when he married Mama."

"You know a lot about the ranking system, Aiko-chan." Shisui commented mildly.

"Mama was an aide to the Hokage." Aiko replied, "She spent a lot of time helping him to rank and assign missions, so I learned about it from her."

Shisui nodded and then noticed Itachi squinting slightly with water lining his eyes. It didn't look as if Itachi were about to cry—and honestly, Shisui would've been shocked if he had—just as though his eye were watering from physical discomfort. He'd probably be rubbing at them if he weren't carrying Sasuke. "Are you all right?" The older Uchiha asked with worry.

Itachi turned and smiled weakly at Shisui, "I'm fine. My eyes are just throbbing a little. I think I might've strained them a bit yesterday. That man's own visual jutsu was very powerful."

Shisui frowned in thought, "I'm not sure that's the reason... But right here isn't a good place. I'll take a look at your eyes as soon as I have a chance when we get back to Konoha."

"But Shisui-san, you're not a doctor." Izumi said in confusion.

"No, but I know more about the Sharingan than either one of you." He answered cryptically.

兄弟

Fortunately, the group made it back to Konoha without incident. Itachi and Sasuke's parents greeted them at the gate, and then they went to speak with the Third Hokage about what had happened in Sora-ku. Uzumaki Kushina, the wife of the late Fourth Hokage, was also there, along with Itachi's instructor, Minazuki Yuuki.

"So a man calling himself 'Oyashiro En' attempted to kidnap Aiko and Sasuke simply because they had the potential to awaken the Sharingan?" The Third asked.

"Yes." Itachi replied, "However, I believe that name is only an alias. According to what Aiko's father said at the time, he is actually a member of the Chinoike Clan."

"The Chinoike?" Fugaku said in surprise. "But the Uchiha destroyed them during the Era of Warring States."

"That was believed to be the case, yes." Aiko replied, "But my father identified the man's visual prowess as the Chinoike Clan's Ketsuryuugan, which, in terms of genjutsu, only the Sharingan can match. His genjutsu was really powerful... Mama was dead before Papa even hit the ground..."

"Itachi, explain to me how a jonin, a chunin, and a genin went to rescue two children and only the genin came back alive?" Yuuki asked out of nowhere.

"Nichi-san ordered me to wait in hiding in case he and Megumi-san should fall during the battle..." Itachi said replied, "When he went down, I wasn't able to get to Megumi-san in time."

"Under the circumstances, my father would've prioritized Itachi-san's life over that of his or my mother's." Aiko added flatly, attempting to keep her emotions separated from the facts of what had happened, "Papa was skilled at combat, but Mama wasn't. Even though Papa had helped her train to be able to fight blind against an opponent with visual prowess, she was never particularly skilled in combat to start with. For that reason, it's possible that Papa was partially distracted by his concern for her, which gave that man an opening. When she heard my father cry out, my mother forgot about the danger and opened her eyes, and that was her end..." She closed her eyes and bit her lip in an attempt to avoid sobbing before she managed to speak again, "I don't know what happened after that, but Itachi-san has the Sharingan, and he didn't have the distraction of watching somebody else's back."

Itachi nodded slightly, "When I intervened, I told Sasuke to take Aiko back to Nekobaa's room. That said, the only thing I had to do was prevent that man from going after them. Once he realized that Sasuke had probably made it to a safer place, he retreated on his own."

"Itachi, did you...?" Fugaku began.

"Yes." Itachi replied in response to his father's unspoken question, "Per the protocol of the Uchiha Clan, I retrieved Nichi-san's eyes before returning to Nekobaa's room."

The Hokage breathed out a bit of the smoke from his pipe in thought, "The Hyuga will need to be made aware of this man. According to Itachi, he's only targeting younger children, presumably because they are more easily brainwashed into obedience... Therefore, I think the village may require a policy that children who are not yet Genin, are below the age of eleven, and have the bloodline of a Kekkei Genkai, must not be allowed to leave the village, unless they are being accompanied by sufficient protection." His eyes shifted over to Izumi, "Izumi, that will include you until your official graduation."

"Understood." Izumi said with a nod.

The Third took another puff from his pipe, and then moved to the next order of business, "Now then, we should discuss how to deal with Aiko's situation..."

"Mikoto and I have already discussed that." Fugaku said, "I am Aiko's closest living relative among the Uchiha Clan, so we will take responsibility for her."

"I suppose that would make the most sense." Hiruzen agreed, "It's possible that Aiko has a closer relative among the Shimura, but... since she possesses the Sharingan, it would be better for her to remain among the Uchiha."

"That reminds me..." Aiko said, having apparently calmed down a little, "When I woke up this morning, Nekobaa gave me this. My mother entrusted it to her just before she left with Papa and Itachi-san to help us. I was told to give it to you." The child pulled out a small scroll and handed it to the Hokage, who opened it and scanned the contents, before his eyes widened incrementally.

"Summon Kakashi right away!"

兄弟

It took less than two minutes for Hatake Kakashi to arrive, a perpetually bored expression on his face, which quickly changed to surprise when he took note of the entire head family of the Uchiha, the teenaged jonin, Uchiha Shisui, the daughter of Uchiha Megumi, a young Uchiha girl that he was not familiar with, Minazuki Yuuki, and his late teacher's wife, Kushina, all gathered in the room along with the Hokage.

"Um..." Was all that the nineteen-year-old managed.

"Kakashi, close the door." The Third instructed, if only to snap the young man out of his daze. Kakashi did as instructed and walked forward, wondering what in the world was going on. The Third Hokage set the now closed scroll from Megumi on his desk, taking a puff from his pipe before he began. "This is a letter from Uchiha Megumi, which she entrusted to her daughter just before her death one day ago. It contains explanation of a theory that she had formed." His gaze turned dead serious, his head dipping slightly, "She believed that Uchiha Obito is still alive, and that he was responsible for the Kyuubi incident five years ago."

Kakashi's visible eye widened in shock, as did the eyes of Fugaku, Mikoto, and Shisui. It was Kushina who spoke first.

"Obito?!" She exclaimed in disbelief, "But he was Minato's student! Why would he...?!" She didn't bother to finish her thought.

"Megumi wasn't the type to come up with crazy theories." Fugaku remarked calmly as he looked at the Hokage, "So I take it she explained her reasoning?"

Hiruzen nodded, "Megumi spoke at length with Itachi regarding the incident two years ago, during the Daimyo escort mission. The matters of the Kyuubi incident have been kept mostly secret, but... on the night of the attack, a masked man kidnapped Kushina just after she had given birth to her son, extracted the Kyuubi from her, and then set it loose upon Konoha. Minato sacrificed his own life to reseal it. There were naturally suspicions among some of my colleagues that a member of the Uchiha was responsible, but considering the damage done and the Uchiha lives that were lost, Megumi always believed that it couldn't have been anyone who bore loyalty to the Uchiha Clan. It was after speaking to Itachi about what happened two years ago that she came to the conclusion that the person responsible was Obito."

"For what reason, exactly?" Kakashi asked in moderate disbelief.

Hiruzen shifted his gaze to Itachi, "When the Daimyo's traveling party was attacked, there were only three people who weren't caught in the assailant's genjutsu: Itachi, his teammate, Izumo Tenma, and you, Kakashi. Itachi, the man who attacked you that day wore a mask that revealed only his right eye, correct?"

"Yes." Itachi said briefly.

"And that right eye was a Sharingan?"

"Yes."

"The man who attacked me was the same way." Kushina remarked, "But I never once thought he could be Obito, even though... that is the eye that he would have..."

Hiruzen nodded in understanding, "There were three reasons that Megumi believed it was him. Kakashi, as I recall, your left eye, the eye you received from Obito, is not just a Sharingan, it's a Mangekyō Sharingan, correct?"

"...Yes." Kakashi said reluctantly.

"What's a 'mankegyou' Sharingan?" Sasuke asked in confusion, tripping over the new word slightly.

"An evolved form of the Sharingan, triggered by intense emotional trauma," Aiko explained, "Usually either witnessing the death of somebody close to the user, or intense feelings of guilt, stemming from the user's belief that they are somehow responsible for the death of someone they care about." At this, she cast a sidelong glance at Itachi, causing both his and Shisui's eyes to widen in surprise.

"As expected of Megumi's daughter and the great-granddaughter of the Second." Hiruzen said with a sigh before returning to the matter at hand, "Your Mangekyō Sharingan... It's a time-space jutsu known as Kamui, am I right?"

"Yes." Kakashi said with a nod, "I've done a bit of training with it, to get used to its abilities, but... I avoid using it as much as possible, because it drains my chakra significantly."

Hiruzen nodded, "Nonetheless, it's one of the reasons for Megumi's theory. Kushina gave birth to Naruto inside of a barrier maintained by members of the ANBU. It shouldn't have been possible for somebody to get past that to attack her, and yet, somehow, the masked man did. Megumi believed that perhaps, somehow, Obito, assuming that he is somehow still alive, also awakened the Mangekyō in his right eye, and used the time-space abilities of his eye to bypass the barrier."

"But my Kamui only allows me to teleport things to another dimension and back, not my entire body." Kakashi said in confusion.

"The abilities of the Mangekyō are often different in each eye." Aiko stated matter-of-factly. Kakashi looked at her and sweat-dropped.

"But to explain that, we need to move onto the third reason why Megumi believed that Obito was responsible for both events." Hiruzen continued. "Itachi, you told Megumi that the masked man intended to attack you, but retreated when he sensed Kakashi's approach, correct?"

"Yes." Itachi said again, "He muttered Kakashi-san's name, and then disappeared, just before Kakashi-san arrived to help me."

Hiruzen nodded, "Megumi believed that this particular fact indicated a desire to avoid Kakashi, mostly likely due to a personal grudge against him and the chance that Kakashi would recognize his chakra. Given what we know about the Mangekyō Sharingan, that grudge was most likely caused by the death of Nohara Rin. Rin threw herself in the path of Kakashi's Chidori in order to end her own life, for the sake of foiling a plot by Kirigakure to attack us by using her. If their plan had succeeded, she would've died anyway, so she chose to end herself to protect Konoha. However, if Obito had somehow survived and had arrived just a little too late, to him, it would have looked as though Kakashi had murdered Rin."

"Which would've given him reason to bear a grudge against both Konoha and Kakashi." Fugaku acknowledged, "That part makes sense. But why would he bear a grudge against the Uchiha? And how do we even know that this person is an Uchiha? It's unlikely, but... his Sharingan could've been stolen and still be Obito's. His body was never accounted for."

"No, this person must be an Uchiha." Aiko said thoughtfully, "The Sharingan puts strain on the chakra of the user, and even more so when transplanted. Not to mention that anyone with a transplanted Sharingan is unable to deactivate it. That's why Kakashi-san keeps his left eye covered. Nobody with a transplanted Sharingan would go around wearing a mask that reveals only the transplanted eye. That's why it _has _to be Uchiha Obito. There are no other members of the Uchiha who went MIA, were presumed dead, and would be missing their left eye. As for the grudge against the Uchiha, it's difficult to say, but... Perhaps simply because we are part of Konoha." Aiko said quietly, looking thoughtful, "It's also possible that his mind has been poisoned..."

"Poisoned?" Kakashi questioned.

"According to Papa, there was a... creature... who poisoned the mind of our ancestor, Indra, and caused him to turn against his father and brother. Whenever a member of the head family would form a bond with a member of the Senju or Uzumaki, that creature would reappear to poison their mind, and prevent the familial bond from being restored. However, with the help of the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, Uchiha Madara, was able to overcome the creature's influence and return to his true self, breaking the curse that had been plaguing our family for centuries. With that in mind... the creature would have needed a new target. Someone from outside the main family."

"Why is this... thing... so stuck on the Uchiha?" Kushina asked.

"I don't know." Aiko said while shaking her head, "Papa thought it may have had something to do with the Sharingan, but he was never entirely sure. His research on our clan's history was extensive, but... records from that time are... nearly nonexistent."

"Okay, so we have reason to believe that Uchiha Obito is alive and is being influenced by some... thing... that has been basically haunting our clan since it came into existence..." Fugaku remarked, "But where does that leave us?"

"I can't be certain..." Hiruzen sighed, "If the masked man is indeed Uchiha Obito as Megumi believed, that makes things very difficult. As a former member of Konoha, he could easily slip in and out of the village without being detected by the sensory unit. I will discuss this matter with the advisors. For now, all of you should be careful and keep your wits about you. Itachi, would it be possible for you to perform a transformation of the man who attempted to kidnap Sasuke and Aiko?"

"Yes." Itachi replied with a nod.

"Then we should have you do so to produce photos for the Bingo Book, as well as distribute the information to our allies. The Shinobi World needs to be wary of Oyashiro En."

* * *

Finally finished this chapter. And yes, Aiko is very, very smart for her age. Some of what she says is more reciting things she's heard her parents say rather than what she actually understands, but for the most part, she inherited the same intelligence as Itachi, along with intelligence and perception from the Shimura.


	4. Brothers

"Here we are." Mikoto said as she opened the door to a spare bedroom, "This will be your room, Aiko-chan. Other members of the Clan are helping to gather your things and bring them here."

"Right. Thank you." Aiko said quietly.

Mikoto smiled gently at her, "Well, I'm going to prepare lunch. I think Sasuke is on the back porch if you want some company."

"Okay." Aiko headed to the back porch, where she found Sasuke, lazily throwing kunai at a target against the wall with a troubled expression. "What's wrong?" She asked as she sat down next to him.

"I'm trying to decide if I should tell Tousan about my Sharingan." Sasuke replied, picking up another kunai and staring at it, "I finally managed to do something at an earlier age than Niisan, but... I'm not as happy as I thought I'd be."

"Awakening the Sharingan has nothing to do with skill or talent." Aiko pointed out, "Izumi-neechan awakened hers at an earlier age than Itachi-san too, but he still graduated ahead of her. It's different from the Byakugan of the Hyūga. No matter how much you train, you can't awaken it by simply trying. It's something that can only be awakened by powerful emotions." She slipped off the porch and wandered over to the koi pond, "It doesn't even matter at our age. We can't train to use it. We don't have enough chakra. We'd pass out within seconds of activating it."

"Aiko's right about that." Itachi said from the doorway, causing her and Sasuke to look at him. "Izumi once activated her Sharingan shortly after we entered the Academy and passed out after less than five minutes. I had to carry her to the infirmary."

"Geez! You don't need to tell them about that!" Izumi said indignantly, puffing her cheeks out in a pout as she passed by Itachi with a box of Aiko's belongings.

Itachi laughed nervously and then turned back to the younger children, "At any rate, you two probably won't be able to actually learn how to use it until you're at least seven. There's no reason to rush about telling Chichiue." He knelt down and whispered in Sasuke's ear as Aiko knelt by the pond, "Actually, it's really better if you don't. He might say something that would upset Aiko." Sasuke looked confused, but nodded in confirmation.

"Itachi! Sasuke! Aiko!" Mikoto called from inside the house, "Lunch is ready!"

"Coming!" The three children replied before heading inside.

As they entered the kitchen, Sasuke's face lit up in delight. "Tomatoes!" He exclaimed, rushing forward to pick from the bowl of cherry tomatoes on the table before his mother gently slapped his hand away.

"Sasuke! Wait until everyone is ready!" She scolded.

"Right..." He said with a pout as he sat down.

Mikoto turned to Aiko with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, Aiko-chan. I don't what foods you like best."

"No, that's okay, Lady Mikoto." Aiko said politely as she sat down across from Sasuke and Itachi.

"Don't be so reserved." Mikoto told her warmly, "From today, we're your family."

"That's right." Fugaku said as he sat down at the head of the table, "Besides, your father and I were cousins. The Uchiha Clan isn't like the Hyūga."

"Right."

When they had expressed their gratitude for the food, Sasuke immediately went for the bowl of cherry tomatoes while Itachi picked up an onigiri with a bit more dignity. Aiko merely picked at her food with her chopsticks.

"By the way, Sasuke, Aiko..." Fugaku began, "With what happened yesterday... have either of you awakened your Sharingan?"

Itachi choked on his food in response to his father's bluntness. Sasuke froze with a tomato halfway to his mouth while Aiko simply stilled her chopsticks. Having suddenly lost his appetite, Sasuke returned the tomato to the bowl. "Yeah." He replied softly.

"Yes." Aiko said immediately afterwards.

"That's good." Fugaku remarked, "I'm glad to know that all three of you have the Sharingan now."

Aiko abruptly slammed her hands on the table and stood up. "You're _happy_ about this?!" She exclaimed with fury, "The only reason that we awakened our Sharingan was because my Mama and Papa _died_! They're gone forever and your only concern is a visual prowess that we can't even sustain yet?!" Her eyes abruptly filled with tears, "I... I... I HATE YOU!" She screamed. Before anyone could react or stop her, Aiko jumped over the table, landing near Itachi on the opposite side before running out of the room.

"Aiko-chan!' Mikoto called in concern before she glared at her husband, "Geez...! Fugaku, you have no tact!"

Fugaku, for his part, looked rather uncomfortable. Emotional outbursts were not something he was used to. Sasuke and Itachi were far more reserved about their feelings, to the point that he never knew quite what they were thinking. Aiko, it seemed, was the exact opposite.

"I'll go find her." Itachi said, setting his napkin down and standing up, having finally cleared his windpipe.

"I'll go with you." Fugaku said abruptly, standing up as well.

"I don't know if that's really the best idea..." Itachi said cautiously.

"I'm the one who needs to fix this, Itachi." Fugaku explained.

Itachi seemed reluctant, but nodded.

兄弟

Aiko fled from the Uchiha District to the main part of Konoha, putting a great deal of effort into suppressing her chakra to avoid activating her Sharingan, lest she pass out again. She was passing by a playground when she tripped and fell, but rather than get up, she simply sat there, crying softly.

"Huh? Aiko-chan?" A voice said, "What are you doing here?" Aiko looked up to see her friend Uzumaki Naruto approaching her. For reasons that had never been explained to her, most of the village despised this boy, but because of her job as an aid to the Hokage, Megumi had been close with Naruto's mother, Kushina, so he and Aiko had known one another practically since birth. For this reason, rather than answering Naruto, the little girl flung herself into her friend's arms, clinging to him and burying her face in her chest as she cried. Naruto was bewildered by this, but he wrapped his arms around the younger child to comfort her. "How am I supposed to know if you won't tell me?" He asked.

"Naruto-kun..." She began, her voice still breaking when she spoke, "My parents are dead!"

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. Having grown up without a father, he understood death at an earlier age than most children, but this news naturally came as a shock to him. "What happened?" He asked tentatively, "Were they killed on a mission?" He didn't understand Megumi's work well enough to know that she basically never went on missions, but he did know it was a common cause of death among shinobi. Aiko shook her head, still clinging to Naruto's jacket with her tiny fists.

"No, they... a man tried to take me and my cousin... because we're from the Uchiha Clan, and... Mama and Papa fought against him and were killed!" She continued sobbing while Naruto tried to process what she had said, "And now... now I'm living with my cousin's family... they're the head of the Uchiha Clan... but all his father cares about is that we both awakened our Sharingan!" She sobbed again, "It's because of these eyes that my parents were killed! If having the Sharingan means losing my loved ones... then I wish I didn't have it at all!" Naruto didn't have the slightest clue what to say or do—to be honest, he didn't completely understand what Aiko was even talking about—so he just continued holding Aiko as she cried. After a few minutes, her sobs died down a little and she pulled away, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry..." She whimpered, "I must seem pathetic to you... your papa died when you were born, but you never cry, and here I am, bawling like a baby."

Naruto shook his head, placing a hand on Aiko's head, "It's because he's always been gone that I never cry. I'm used to not having him. But you aren't used to it, Aiko-chan. Someday, you will have to stop crying, but not right now. It's okay to cry if you want to for now." Aiko sniffled and leaned against him again.

"Aiko." A voice said behind her. Aiko recognized it as Fugaku's, and though she would've preferred to ignore him, she slowly turned around and looked up at him hesitantly. The leader of the Uchiha had a rather awkward look on his face, and he averted his eyes, scratching his cheek while trying to think of what to say. "...I need to apologize." He finally managed. "What I said earlier... I should've phrased it differently. It's not that I'm happy about what happened to your parents, or that you and Sasuke had to witness that. I'm just relieved because having the Sharingan means there will be less danger for you in the future. Once you're able to use it, you'll be stronger, able to protect yourselves. It will mean less risk for you when you become shinobi. I admit I wasn't particularly close with your father, but... he and Megumi were still my family. I'm sad to have lost them. I don't want to lose you as well." As Aiko sniffled and wiped her tears, Fugaku knelt down in front of her, "So please give me a chance... to look after you in their stead. I'm not good at reading people like Megumi and I'm not particularly friendly like Nichi, but I care about you. I'm glad to call you my family."

Aiko nodded slowly. "I'm sorry..." She managed, "I shouldn't have said what I did..."

Fugaku smiled wryly, "The Uchiha are prone to passionate emotions, and it's harder for girls to control that than boys. Or so Mikoto tells me." Aiko wisely chose to refrain from voicing her opinion on that matter. "Let's go home, okay?"

Aiko nodded and Itachi walked over to her before kneeling down, "You must be tired... I'll carry you back, all right?" She nodded and Itachi carefully lifted her onto his back. As he turned to follow his father, he looked back at the strangely quiet Naruto, "Thank you for looking after her, Naruto-kun."

Naruto blinked, not used to be acknowledged by anyone outside of his mother and Aiko, but then grinned broadly, "Sure!"

兄弟

After a few weeks, Aiko had finally stopped addressing the members of her new family with honorifics. However, she still mostly kept to herself, which Fugaku and Mikoto assumed was because she was still grieving. However, one day, Mikoto noticed something that made her think differently.

While doing the laundry, she happened to see Sasuke throwing kunai at the target in the backyard. Aiko was watching him nearby with an apprehensive expression. Mikoto walked over to the little girl and knelt beside her. "Why don't you ask him to play with you?"

Aiko looked at Mikoto in surprise, having not taken notice of her, then looked back at Sasuke with uncertainty. "I can't... He wants Itachi to teach him new jutsu when he gets home, so he's practicing what he already knows right now. I'd just be in the way..." Mikoto blinked, and then sighed and stood up, going back to the laundry. She now realized that Aiko wished to spend time with Sasuke the same way that he wanted to spend time with Itachi, but she was too afraid to tell him so, and Sasuke was so focused on his training that he hadn't even noticed Aiko's presence. How could she remedy this situation?

兄弟

"Kaasan," Sasuke began at lunch later that day, "When is Niisan going to get home?"

"I think his mission was outside the village today, but maybe later this afternoon?" Mikoto replied, "Why don't you go to the park with Aiko after lunch? Your brother will pass by there on his way home."

"Yeah!" Sasuke agreed enthusiastically, not noticing the surprised look on Aiko's face or the wink that Mikoto gave her.

"What should we do while we wait for Itachi?" Aiko asked when she and Sasuke arrived at the park.

"I'm gonna find a good place to watch for him!" Sasuke declared, "I think the top of the slide would work."

"Oh... okay." Sasuke failed to hear the disappointed note in Aiko's voice. As he climbed up to the top of the slide to watch for Itachi, Aiko sat down on a swing by herself. She didn't bother to kick, but only sat there, until she felt someone pushing her back firmly, causing her to swing forward. She looked up in surprise and then looked over her shoulder to find Naruto standing behind her. "Naruto-kun!"

"Hey! You looked lonely. What's wrong?" Naruto asked as he continued to push Aiko on the swing.

Aiko turned back around to avoid getting dizzy and answered him, "I came here to play with Sasuke, but he just wants to stand on the slide and watch for Itachi." She explained.

"Sasuke, Itachi?" Naruto asked in confusion, not recognizing the names.

"My cousins." She explained, "I live with them now. I want to play with Sasuke, but... the only things he cares about is being with his big brother Itachi and training."

"Why don't you just play with both of them then?" Naruto asked.

"I don't think Sasuke would appreciate the intrusion." She replied.

Naruto looked over at the slide, assuming that the dark-haired kid standing on the ladder like some kind of lookout must be the Sasuke that Aiko had been speaking of. His face hardened and he abruptly walked off. "Hey, you jerk!"

"Huh?" Sasuke turned his head and looked down at Naruto, "What do you want?"

"Why aren't you playing with Aiko?!" Naruto demanded, "She came here because she wanted to play with you, and all you care about is waiting for your brother! She's lives with your family; that makes you her brother, right?! Why don't you act like it?!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the blond, but then glanced over at Aiko and noticed her sitting on the swing, looking rather forlorn. It had never occurred to him that Aiko would want to be with him the same way that he wanted to be with Itachi. He slid down the ladder and walked over to her. "Hey." She looked up at him. "If you wanted to play with me, why didn't you just say something?" He asked her.

Aiko looked down again and swung her feet slightly, "I thought you might think I was an annoyance or something." She admitted, "I'm not used to having siblings. Before, it was always just me and Mama and Papa. I know Mikoto-basan and Fugaku-jisan mean well, but I feel awkward around them because... they're nothing like my mama and papa. With you two, it's different. I don't have anyone to compare you too, but that's also why I don't know how to act."

"If you want something, you have to tell us." Sasuke told her, "How are we supposed to know otherwise? We're not like your parents."

"So I've noticed." Aiko replied with a wry smile, "No offense, but Fugaku-jisan is as thick as a dictionary. He's even more dense than Naruto-kun."

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly.

Aiko giggled, "Then again, Naruto-kun is a sensory type by nature, so maybe he's just better at reading people to start with."

"I don't know whether or not I should be insulted that you think my ability to read people is less than his." Sasuke remarked.

"I don't know whether to be insulted or not either!" Naruto said.

Aiko burst out laughing at the two of them, "The Uchiha aren't very open about their emotions, so they aren't very good at reading the emotions of others."

"You didn't seem to have a problem at first..." Sasuke said awkwardly.

Aiko smiled wryly again, "I've come to realize that Fugaku-jisan doesn't really know how to respond to my openness, so I've decided to keep to myself more."

Sasuke nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "Well do you wanna play a game or not?"

"Yes!" Aiko exclaimed, jumping up from the swing, "Why don't the three of us play tag?"

"Yeah! Sounds good!" Naruto exclaimed.

兄弟

The three children played happily for quite a while. However, when Sasuke took notice of Itachi watching them from the edge of the playground, he immediately lost interest in their game.

"Niisan!" He exclaimed while running up to his older brother. Aiko sighed and then followed him with Naruto trailing behind her. "Are you done with your mission?" Sasuke asked eagerly.

"Yeah." Itachi replied with a nod.

"Then teach me shuriken jutsu!" Sasuke begged.

"What about Aiko?" Itachi asked. The younger child crossed her arms behind her back.

"I haven't learned how to throw shuriken yet, so I'd only be in the way." She told Itachi with an awkward smile. She knew that wasn't really what he'd been asking, but she wasn't going to make a fuss. "You two go on without me. I'll just go back to the house." Itachi looked concerned, but something about Aiko's demeanor told him that she wasn't going to budge on this one, so he sighed and nodded.

"Let's go then, Sasuke."

"Yeah!" Sasuke exclaimed happily, running off to head for the training ground with Itachi following.

"Why did you do that?" Naruto asked with his arms crossed behind his head, "I mean, Sasuke is a jerk. It's kind of mean for him to just ditch you like this. We were all having fun too."

Aiko turned and looked at her friend, her expression still awkward, "It's a little complicated... Anyway, I need to go. I'll see you later, Naruto-kun!" She told the boy before running off.

Naruto sighed and looked up at the sky in confusion, "She's his sister now, right? Why doesn't he act like it? I don't get it..."

* * *

So, yeah... First off, Fugaku is a horrible parent. I mean, who takes their four-year-old out to a battlefield during war, just to show the kid what war is? Also, at the moment, Naruto treats Aiko more like a sibling than Sasuke does, but Sasuke is, well, single-minded to the point of oblivious as usual.


	5. Promises

Aiko was reading a book in her room. She turned the page, scanned it, and then sighed. "No good... there's no way I can obtain it on my own... what should I do...?" At that moment, Itachi entered her room.

"Hey." The older child began in order to get her attention. When Aiko looked up at him, Itachi continued, "Why didn't you say something to Sasuke earlier? Even if you can't throw shuriken, you still could've come, or we could've done something you could do."

Aiko sighed as she closed her book and sat up, watching as Itachi sat down beside her. "He wouldn't have appreciated the intrusion." She explained, "He's not used to me being here yet. If I start tagging along when he trains with you, he'll feel like I'm stealing you from him. Besides, he doesn't even notice when I'm within ten feet of him unless I say something, regardless of whether I'm trying to conceal my presence."

"Sasuke can be a little single-minded." Itachi admitted, "But sooner or later, he's going to have to learn to accept that having you here means sharing, well, everyone."

"I know, but I just feel like I should build a bond with him first before I try tagging along with both of you." Aiko admitted, standing up and putting her book away, "I mean, sure, I could've said 'let's all play hide-and-seek', but I would probably beat him, and I don't think he would like that. He's very competitive."

"That's true, he is." Itachi admitted, "What makes you so certain you could beat him though?"

"All of my training has been focused entirely on stealth. My father was a specialist at infiltration, remember?" She told him as she walked back over to him, "But I'm not just sitting around you know. I have a plan."

"What is it?" Itachi asked, his mouth twitching slightly with interest. Aiko's thought process was highly complex compared to Sasuke's, or even his own at that age.

"Your Chuunin exam is coming up soon, right?" Aiko asked, "I'm sure you'll pass the first test, and the second test takes five days, which means you won't be around for Sasuke to follow around. I think during that time, I'll ask him to teach me how to throw shuriken and kunai so that I can join you guys later. Maybe if he teaches me how to do it, the sense of achievement he'll get from doing so will make him more comfortable with having me come along."

"That's a good idea." Itachi agreed, rubbing her head, "Anyway, it's time for dinner, so let's go downstairs."

"Okay." Aiko replied, getting to her feet and hurrying to go to the dining room. Itachi was about to follow her, but paused to look at the book she'd been reading. It was a catalogue on poisons and how to compound them. Why did she even have such a book? She was only four. Then again, it might've originally belonged to one of her parents, so perhaps the better question was, why had she been reading it?

兄弟

"Itachi, your chunin exam is tomorrow, isn't it?" Fugaku began at dinner a few nights later, "Put everything you have into it."

"Right." Itachi said.

"I wonder what the first test is this time?" Aiko wondered, "They change it up every time. The second and third tests are always the same though."

"Really?" Itachi asked, "What kind of test is most common?"

"It's entirely up to the proctor, but... I think at least part of the first test is to test your resolve as a shinobi... whatever that means." Aiko replied.

"Ohh... So there actually _are_ words you don't know." Sasuke remarked with a grin.

"Of course there are." Aiko replied with an annoyed look, "I'm still little. Most of the time when I explain things, I'm just repeating what I heard my parents say. I think it's called 'parroting'." Mikoto laughed awkwardly at her adopted child's statement, though Aiko seemed unconcerned as her expression turned thoughtful. "That reminds me. I need to run an errand tomorrow. More specifically, I need to take a document from my mother to the Hokage. I found it among some of the things she left for me."

"Just how many of those documents did she leave you?" Fugaku asked incredulously.

"Mama liked to be prepared for any eventuality." Aiko said matter-of-factly, "That reminds me. Itachi, if you happen to see an older man, around the Hokage's age, at the exam with a bandage over his right eye and a cane, I suggest you keep your distance. That's Shimura Danzō. He's the head of my mama's clan. He's very dangerous and he hates the Uchiha Clan."

"Why would somebody hate the clan?" Sasuke asked innocently as he munched on some food.

"I don't know exactly..." Aiko admitted, "I think it has something to do with an old grudge about our great-grandfather naming the current Hokage as his successor instead of him? That, and he was mad about my mama leaving the Shimura Clan when she married Papa."

"I remember that." Mikoto said thoughtfully, "Megumi was one of the brightest members of the Shimura Clan, and Lord Danzō was livid when she eloped with Nichi. Megumi ended up cutting all ties with the Shimura as a result."

"Yes, and because of that, he especially hates me." Aiko said with a nod, "He hates that the blood of the Shimura has mingled with that of the Uchiha."

"It's just the opposite here..." Fugaku said, "Even if we don't have the best relationship with the Shimura, since you've been born Aiko, we've all had high hopes that you would inherit the best of both of your parents' abilities."

Aiko wasn't sure whether to be pleased by that statement or not, so she ignored it, "At any rate, I don't feel safe going to the Hokage's office alone. Mama told me before that Danzō pulls a lot of strings in the shadows, and I get the feeling that he won't want me to deliver this document."

"In that case, I'll go with you." Itachi said, "We can go before I have to turn in my registration form at the Academy."

"Okay."

兄弟

"Why were you afraid to go by yourself today, Aiko?" Itachi asked as he walked through Konoha with Aiko's hand in his, "Didn't you used to go out by yourself all the time?"

"Yes, but... Ever since what happened in Sora-ku... I've been scared..." Aiko said reluctantly, stopping and placing her other hand over her eye, "Because I have these eyes, my mama and papa were killed. And even though I'm back in the village now, there are still people who hate the clan... who hate me..." Tears began to fall down her face as she cried softly and Itachi let go of her hand, kneeling down so that he was at her level. "I'm scared!" Aiko admitted, "I'm so scared...! Every night, my dreams are filled with horror... I try to stay awake, but I can't!"

Itachi was at a momentary loss, but acting on what he might of done when Sasuke was a toddler—he hardly cried these days—he wrapped his arms around the younger child and held her close. "Don't cry, Aiko. Even though your parents are gone... Chichiue and Hahaue... even Sasuke will give his all to protect you. And of course, I will too."

Aiko sniffled and looked up at Itachi, "Really?"

"Yes, really." Itachi promised with a gentle smile and a nod.

"Promise?" She asked, holding out her pinky. Itachi was taken aback, because that was something Sasuke had never thought to do, but he smiled gently and nodded again, wrapping her much smaller finger with his own.

"I promise." Though he didn't show it, Itachi's heart was breaking for the young girl. She was only four-years-old, yet the childhood innocence and naïveté that even he'd had at that age had been stolen from her. It wasn't even possible for her to feel safe within her own village.

兄弟

The Third Hokage looked up from his desk when he heard a knock at his door, "Come in."

"Shitsureshimasu." A child's voice replied, and Uchiha Aiko entered the office with the same air of business as an adult, even though her cousin Itachi had had to open the door for her because she was too short to reach the knob.

Hiruzen's eyes widened in surprise, "Aiko! What brings you here?" He asked, watching as the tiny brunette walked around his desk to face him directly, since she was too short to see over it.

"I brought you an important document from my mother regarding the upcoming Chuunin Exam." Aiko stated as formally as she could, reaching into the small bag she was carrying and pulling out the scroll before handing it to Hiruzen. She then leaned forward, stood on her toes, and whispered in his ear, "She said you should read it if Itachi-niichan passes, which I'm sure he will. Maybe you should read it before, just in case." Hiruzen nodded to her and then she walked back over to Itachi. "Well then, shitsureshimasu." She said, bowing politely to the Hokage before taking Itachi's hand and walking out the door with him. Hiruzen sighed, feeling that the little girl was maturing entirely too quickly for her own good.

兄弟

"I should have just enough time to take you home before I have to go to the Academy." Itachi told Aiko, trying to assure her that she would be safe.

"Um, actually, Itachi-niichan, I need to go to Naruto-kun's house." Aiko replied, "I need Auntie Kushina's help with something. You can drop me off there and then go to the Academy, and I'll ask her to take me home."

"All right." Itachi agreed. He idly wondered what exactly Aiko needed Uzumaki Kushina's help with. Usually the younger child was upfront about her intentions. He didn't feel the need to question her about it though.

兄弟

"Oh, Aiko-chan!" Kushina said in surprise when she answered the door, "Naruto isn't here right now. I think he's at the park."

"Actually, I came here to talk to you, Auntie Kushina." Aiko said politely.

"To me?" Kushina asked in surprise.

"I have to head to the Academy for my chuunin exam." Itachi told the redheaded woman, "Is it all right if I leave Aiko here with you?"

"Oh, yes. It's no problem." Kushina said with a nod, "I'll bring her home later."

"Thank you." Itachi said with a polite bow before he left.

Kushina stood aside to let Aiko in and then closed the door. "So what did you need to talk to me about?"

"I need your help, Auntie." Aiko admitted, "I want to obtain a gift for Itachi-niichan, to help him in the second round of his Chuunin Exam, but I can't acquire it on my own."

"A gift?" Kushina asked in confusion, wondering what on earth Aiko would want to give Itachi that she couldn't obtain by herself. Aiko reached into her bag and pulled out a sheet of paper, handing it to Kushina.

"It's this." Kushina looked at the paper, her eyes widening slightly as she realized it was a type of poison for coating weapons. "I know that nobody in Konoha is going to sell it to somebody my age, and compounding it on my own is too dangerous." Aiko explained.

"But... why are you wanting to give this to Itachi before the second exam?" Kushina asked awkwardly.

"It's not that I think he needs help. He's more than skilled enough without it." Aiko said simply, "But I want to make things easier on him mentally."

"Mentally?" Kushina asked with a raised brow.

Aiko looked down, her expression a bit awkward, "Fugaku-jisan doesn't realize it, but... Itachi-niichan doesn't like fighting... There's no point in trying to explain that to him though, and Mikoto-basan wouldn't get it either. Sasuke-niichan would probably be just as confused, but he'd at least help me. The problem is, he's only a year older than me."

"Ah." Kushina said. She was friends with Mikoto, so she knew her and Fugaku well enough, and could easily see Aiko's point.

"I've been thinking for days about how to obtain it, and I'm almost out of time." Aiko continued, "I have enough money to purchase it, but like I said, I can't because I'm too little. Then it occurred to me today that I could ask you, since I was coming into the main sector of the village anyway."

"I see." Kushina said with a soft smile before holding her hand out to Aiko, "Well then, let's go out to buy it."

兄弟

Aiko was in a very good mood by the time she returned to the Uchiha District with Kushina. Naruto had noticed them as they had passed by the park and decided to join them, and now the two little ones were chattering happily as they walked beside Naruto's mother. When they reached Aiko's house, she eagerly called out, "I'm home!"

"Ah, welcome back." Mikoto replied, drying her hands on an apron as she walked into the entryway before her eyes widened in surprise, "Kushina! What are you doing here?"

"Aiko-chan wanted my help with something earlier, so Itachi-kun dropped her off with me." Kushina explained, "I decided to see her back home once she was done."

"Aiko!" Sasuke exclaimed as he hurried into the entryway, "Do you wanna go play while we wait for Niisan to come home?" Apparently, he'd become fond of killing time that way.

"Sure." Aiko said with a smile, walking over to the step and slipping off her sandals, "Just let me go put my bag away in my room."

As Aiko disappeared around the corner, Kushina turned to Mikoto, "Um... I know that things have been... awkward... since what happened five years ago, but... now that that's been sort of cleared up, we should all get together to have dinner sometime. Naruto doesn't have many friends and to be honest... it's been kind of lonesome since Minato..."

Mikoto blinked and then nodded with a soft smile, "Yeah. I'll have to bring it up to Fugaku."

Kushina nodded and leaned forward, lowering her voice so the boys wouldn't hear her, "For the record, I never once suspected you guys when it happened. Finding out about Obito was a shock, but... I knew that your clan would never stoop to that level. The suspicion on all of you was Danzo's doing... Megumi and I tried to protest it at the time, but..."

"I understand. Aiko was just talking about him the other day." Mikoto said with a nod, "There's no hard feelings Kushina, toward you at least. I'm just glad that Megumi was able to free us from being suspected by the village."

Kushina nodded and a moment later, Aiko came bounding back into the foyer. "I'm ready!" She declared while sitting on the step to put her shoes back on, Sasuke following suit, "What should we go do?"

"Why don't we go to the forest to play hide-and-seek?" Naruto asked with a grin before looking at Sasuke, "Aiko is really good at that game!"

"Oh?" Sasuke asked with interest, not noticing as Aiko's expression became a bit downcast.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Naruto-kun." She admitted while fastening her sandal, "I wouldn't feel safe without Itachi-niichan to keep an eye on us."

Both Mikoto and Kushina looked surprised and a little concerned by this, but Kushina smiled gently and crouched down in front of Aiko, "Why don't I go with you? I'm a sensory type, so I'll be able to keep track of you three no matter where you are."

At this, Aiko brightened. "That sounds okay!" She said happily while standing up before realization crossed her face, "Oh, but, we need to be back in time to welcome Itachi-niichan when he comes home. I'm not sure when that will be."

"Let's see..." Kushina said thoughtfully, "The test is an hour long and it begins at two pm, so Itachi-kun will probably come home around 3:30. I'll keep an eye on the time and let you know when it's time to go meet him."

"Okay." Aiko said enthusiastically, rushing out the door with Sasuke and Naruto.

"Come on! I know a great place to play hide-and-seek!" Sasuke declared.

"I'd better go with you." Mikoto said with an amused smile, "Keeping an eye on three little ones can be hard. Especially when one of them is yours." Kushina laughed nervously, unable to deny Mikoto's point.

兄弟

Aiko looked around the forest carefully. It was her turn to find Naruto and Sasuke and while she was looking with her eyes, she was also trying to sense them out. Naruto was usually easy to find but Sasuke... The four-year-old abruptly became distracted when she sensed the presence of another person, but it wasn't Sasuke or Naruto. The aura was, in the best words that she could use, significantly smaller than Naruto's, but it didn't appear to be suppressed as Sasuke's chakra most likely was at the moment. Curious, she followed the signal and found a girl about her own age with bright pink hair kneeling in the hollow of a tree, messing with something. "Hello there." Aiko greeted with a friendly tone. The girl jumped and slowly looked over her shoulder at Aiko, her bangs hanging in her face. "Did you come here to play too?" Aiko asked, moving to sit next to the girl inside the tree. She nodded silently and Aiko wondered just what it would take to get this girl to say something. "I'm Uchiha Aiko. What's your name?"

"H-Haruno Sakura..." The girl said so quietly that Aiko almost couldn't hear her, but she did.

"Sakura, huh? That's a pretty name! I like it! It matches your hair perfectly!" Aiko said with a bright smile.

"Th-thanks..." Sakura managed. Aiko held her hand out to the other girl.

"Playing by yourself is kind of lonely, right? Do you wanna come play with me, my brother, and my best friend?" She asked.

"Oh, um... I don't know..." Sakura said anxiously.

"Don't worry!" Aiko told her while grabbing her hand, "Naruto-kun is the nicest person ever and Sasuke-niichan is... well... okay, he can be a little rude sometimes, but it's not because he's mean! Just a little... hm... I guess I don't know enough grown-up words to describe him yet." She admitted with an awkward smile before gently pulling Sakura out of the hollow with her, "Come on! We're playing hide-and-seek, so you can help me look for them!"

"Oh... okay..." Sakura replied nervously.

"Now let's see, where could those two be hiding?" Aiko wondered. She'd given up on spotting them with her eyes from here, so she closed her eyes and concentrated, then opened them with a grin, "Gotcha, Naruto-kun!" Pulling Sakura by the hand, she ran off, darting between a few trees before she stopped at the base of one and looked up, "I found you, Naruto-kun!"

"Aw man..." Naruto muttered from where he was sprawled on a branch, "Why do you always find me first?" He let himself fall from the branch and landed on his feet.

"Because you're terrible at concealing your presence. You should work on that. Now for Sasuke-niichan." Aiko was no longer pulling Sakura along by the hand, but both the pink-haired girl and Naruto followed her anyway as she made her way back to the place where they had started this round.

"Hm? What are you doing?" Naruto asked in confusion as Aiko knelt down on the ground.

"Unlike you, Sasuke-niichan knows how to suppress his chakra, so he's not as easy to detect." Aiko replied, "But what he hasn't learned how to do yet is cover his tracks." She observed the ground around them carefully, apparently looking at something that Naruto and Sakura couldn't see. She walked along with her eyes on the ground for a bit before suddenly darting to a bush and parting it. "Found you, Sasuke-niichan!"

"Oh come on!" Sasuke said in annoyance. "You're almost as good at this as Niisan!" He stood up and stepped out of the bush.

Aiko giggled and then turned her attention to the other girl, "I want you two to meet somebody. This is Haruno Sakura-chan. I invited her to play with us." She looked at Sakura, "This is my best friend Uzumaki Naruto-kun, and my big brother, Uchiha Sasuke-niichan."

"Yo!" Naruto greeted with a huge grin.

"Hey." Sasuke greeted more mildly.

"N-Nice to meet you." Sakura managed shyly.

"All right!" Aiko declared happily, "Now that Sakura-chan is joining us, let's split into teams! I'll team up with Sakura-chan and you two will be the other team!"

"What?! Why do I have to team up with him?!" Naruto complained.

"Same here. I don't want the usuratonkachi on my team." Sasuke agreed.

Naruto blinked in confusion and looked at the other boy, "The... what now?"

Aiko sighed, "Sasuke-niichan, that isn't very nice. At any rate, this makes the most sense. Naruto-kun is from the Uzumaki Clan. As much chakra as he has, he might as well be screaming his location if someone doesn't teach him how to suppress it. Meanwhile, Sakura-chan has significantly lower reserves, so she can hide more easily, but may not know the best places. It makes better sense for me to teach Sakura-chan the strategy of hiding while you teach Naruto-kun about sensing other people's chakra and suppressing his own. Also, I'm not certain of Sakura-chan's abilities with regards to physical fitness, but judging by her appearance, Naruto-kun is probably more agile and can keep up with you on a physical level more easily."

Sasuke sighed in exasperation, "Fine..."

"Good!" Aiko exclaimed happily, "Now you guys count and we'll hide."

"Can he even count high enough?" Sasuke asked.

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly.

"Sasuke-niichan..." Aiko began in a warning tone, "You'd better stop or I'm telling Mikoto-basan." Sasuke sweat-dropped at that and didn't say anything more as he and Naruto began counting.

Aiko grinned and grabbed Sakura by the hand, pulling her away from the two boys as quietly as she could. "So how old are you, Sakura-chan?" She asked while looking for the best place to hide.

"U-Um... I'll be five at the end of this month." Sakura replied.

"Really? You're only a few months older than me then." Aiko remarked, "But you'll get to enter the Academy before I do." She pouted slightly, "You're so lucky. You'll get to be in the same class as Naruto-kun and Sasuke-niichan next year. I'll get left behind..." Having apparently made up her mind, she began climbing a nearby tree.

"Your brother Sasuke is really handsome..." Sakura said as she followed Aiko.

"You think so?" Aiko asked, "All the boys in my clan look the same to me." She added with a shrug as she sat on a branch, "Maybe it's just cause I'm used to seeing them."

"Maybe." Sakura said thoughtfully, "I don't really know too many people in the Haruno Clan. We don't all live in one part of the village like a lot of the others."

"Really?" Aiko said with interest as she helped Sakura onto the branch. Sakura nodded and Aiko, unable to think of anything else to say, changed the subject, "When hiding in a tree, it's important to choose a spot where the trunk will shield you from the sunlight enough that your shadow can't be seen on the ground. Because of that, it's not a good idea to hide in one around noon, but it's late enough in the day now that it won't matter. From here on out, we need to be quiet."

Sakura nodded and watched with Aiko as they waited for the boys. Before long, Sasuke and Naruto wandered into the area where they were and began looking around. Aiko grinned and formed a sign with her hands. Suddenly Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widened and they darted off for a bush in the opposite direction.

"Found you!" Naruto exclaimed as he leapt over the bush. Sakura's brow furrowed in confusion. Why was Naruto pointing at thin air?

"Wow. That was faster than I thought." Aiko said as she stood up from behind the bush with Sakura.

Sasuke furrowed his brow. Something wasn't right. Aiko would never choose to hide in a place where they would be so openly exposed... Suddenly his eyes widened in realization and he put his hands together. "Kai!"

"Huh?" Naruto said in confusion.

Sasuke sighed and placed his hand on the other boy's shoulder. "Kai!"

Naruto's eyes widened into saucers as he watched the two girls disappear. "Wah! Where did they go?!"

"You idiot..." Sasuke sighed, "Aiko used a genjutsu to send us in the wrong direction."

"Huh? Genjutsu?" Naruto asked cluelessly.

Sasuke face-palmed and then made his way back over to where they had been, scanning the branches of the trees until he spotted the two girls. "Found you! It's cheating to use genjutsu, Aiko!"

"No it's not!" Aiko replied with a slight tease in her voice, "It's just misdirecting your opponent by taking advantage of their weakness! If you haven't noticed, Naruto-kun is extremely weak to genjutsu, but it was only a feint anyway, since I knew that you would see through it pretty quickly. It's not like I can cast very strong genjutsu yet." She allowed herself to fall gracefully off the branch and landed on her feet, Sakura carefully climbing down behind her.

"I still don't get it." Naruto said cluelessly as he joined Sasuke, "How is that you guys were in the tree and not over there?"

Sasuke sighed again, "It was an illusion, you..." At the sight of Aiko raising a brow, as if daring him to insult Naruto, Sasuke shut up.

兄弟

The four of them continued for a while, only stopping and gathering to say goodbye when they heard Mikoto and Kushina calling for them.

"You guys... take hide-and-seek... very seriously... don't you?" Sakura panted, apparently out of breath from the forays of that day.

"I don't know about Naruto-kun, but in the Uchiha Clan, basically everything is seen as a means to train." Aiko admitted before looking at Naruto, "Naruto-kun, you should ask your mama about how to use your sensory abilities. If you get good at it, you'll be able to find us much easier."

"Yeah!" Naruto said with a nod.

Aiko smiled brightly at her brother and two friends, "Let's meet at the park to play tomorrow! And the day after that and the day after that! And if there's a day when we can't come, we'll find a way to tell each other!"

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed enthusiastically.

"That sounds like fun!" Sakura agreed, having finally opened up to them.

"Let's promise!" Aiko exclaimed, holding out her pinky to them, "No matter what happens, we'll always be friends!"

"Yeah!" The other three exclaimed, joining their fingers to Aiko's.

"Prick your finger and make a promise. If you break it, you'll have to swallow a thousand needles. It's a promise!"

* * *

I have no idea what happened to my original notes... Oh well...

Anyway, this chapter is about Aiko's growing bond with Sasuke and Itachi, as well as her friendship with Naruto and Sakura, who I decided to add to the group. Also, the song that the four children sing at the end is an English translation of a nursery rhyme that Japanese children sing when making a promise.


	6. Training and Exams

"Tadaima!" Itachi called as he stepped through the front door. He hadn't even taken his sandals off when Sasuke and Aiko came running into the foyer to greet him.

"Niisan! Okaeri!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"How was your exam?" Aiko asked.

"It was pretty easy, but more of a challenge than the Academy." Itachi answered honestly.

Aiko smiled and grabbed his hand as he stepped over the step, "I think Obasan has a snack ready. Let's go talk in there."

兄弟

"I see. So they aren't telling you if you passed the first exam until after the second this year..." Fugaku remarked when everyone had sat down.

"Yes." Itachi answered, "All of us have to report to the 44th training ground by 5."

"The 44th training ground is also known as the Forest of Death." Aiko warned him, "The second exam is something of a survival exercise and lasts for five days. Make sure you pack everything you need for that."

"Is it okay to tell him that?" Sasuke asked.

"It's not a problem." Aiko assured him as she ate some rice, "Any participant who has gone through the second exam before would already know this."

"That's true." Itachi said thoughtfully.

"Still, I don't know why they insist on holding the second exam in that place." Aiko continued, "I mean, what exactly is the point of holding an exam where they actually _expect_ some of the participants to die? It seems like a waste of life to me."

Itachi chuckled nervously, inwardly agreeing with the younger child.

"Itachi, make sure to be extra careful during the second exam." Mikoto said with worry, "You were allowed to take the test alone, but that means that you won't have any teammates to watch your back there."

"Right." Itachi said with a nod.

"Depending on how you look at it, taking the test alone could be a blessing or a curse." Aiko remarked, "On one hand, as Obasan said, you don't have anybody to back you up. On the other, you also don't have to keep an eye on your teammates. In addition, the exam requires that you complete the mock mission without any team members dying or becoming inca... in-ca-pa-ci-ta-ted..." Aiko managed, making it clear that she was once again parroting something she'd heard from her mother, "But in your case, that rule is kind of... um..." She furrowed her brow, trying to think of the right word.

"Moot?" Itachi offered.

Aiko shrugged, "Probably. I'm not sure what that word means, but I'm sure you knew what I was trying to say."

Itachi nodded to her in confirmation.

兄弟

After the meal, Aiko walked into Itachi and Sasuke's room, where Itachi was organizing what he would need for the five day exam.

"Itachi-niichan?" She said to announce her presence, "I have a present for you."

Itachi looked at her in confusion. "A present?"

Aiko nodded, "Something you can use in the exam. I got Auntie Kushina to help me buy it today. Here." She held out a jar.

"What is this?" Itachi asked with a raised brow.

"It's a mild paralysis poison." Aiko explained, "I know you don't like to fight, but if you coat your kunai with this, you can immobilize opponents just long enough to take what you need and get away, and it should wear off quickly enough for them to avoid getting eaten. Well, unless they're extremely unlucky I guess."

"So _that's _why you were looking through that catalog of poisons the other day." He realized, and Aiko nodded.

"I'm sure you don't _need_ something like this to pass the exam, but I wanted to make things a little bit easier on you. Well, mentally anyway."

Itachi smiled softly and patted the little girl's head. "Thank you Aiko."

兄弟

"Sasuke-niichan." Aiko began the next day, "Since Itachi-niichan is going to be gone for five days, will you teach me how to throw shuriken?"

Sasuke grinned widely, excited that Aiko was asking _him_ to teach her something. "Sure!" Suddenly he glanced at the clock, "Oh. But we're supposed to meet Naruto and Sakura at the park today."

"That's okay." Aiko said with a smile, "We can start tomorrow morning. We'll train in the morning and then go to the park in the afternoons like we promised."

Sasuke grinned widely again, "Yeah!"

The next few days passed by quickly as Sasuke spent the mornings teaching the basics of shuriken jutsu to Aiko before they went to the park to play with Naruto and Sakura. When Itachi passed by the park on the way home after the exam on the fifth day, Sasuke initially didn't notice him, but as Itachi decided to just hang out and watch them, it wasn't long until he did.

"Niisan! You're back!" He exclaimed excitedly, running over to his sibling with Aiko quickly following.

"How was the exam?" The little girl asked, "Are you tired?"

"Not really." Itachi admitted, "I finished within the first day, so I spent most of it just waiting in the tower."

Aiko gaped at him, "As expected, Itachi-niichan. You're really amazing!" Itachi chuckled awkwardly.

"Now that you're back, can you help me train some more?" Sasuke asked eagerly.

"That won't do, Sasuke-niichan." Aiko said with a shake of her head, "The third exam is a month from now. Itachi-niichan needs to focus on his own training for a little while. He doesn't know what kind of jutsu his opponents might use, so he has to be ready for anything."

"I'm afraid Aiko is right." Itachi said before reaching forward and tapping Sasuke's forehead with his index and middle finger. "Forgive me, Sasuke. Some other time."

Sasuke pouted, so Aiko decided to redirect his attention. "Guess what, Itachi-niichan! While you were gone, I learned how to throw shuriken. Sasuke-niichan taught me."

"Oh really?" Itachi asked with interest. Sasuke beamed with pride.

"She can at least hit the target now. She's still got a ways to go though." He informed Itachi, clearly trying to be objective despite his obvious pleasure at having been the one to teach her.

"You'll have to show me when we get home." Itachi said, "I won't start my training for the third exam until tomorrow."

"Yeah!" Sasuke exclaimed, grabbing Itachi's hand to pull him toward the compound.

"Bye Naruto-kun! Bye Sakura-chan! We'll see you tomorrow!" Aiko called happily as she followed her two brothers.

"Aiko-chan is lucky..." Sakura said quietly, "Having two older brothers."

"Tell me about it." Naruto said, "I wouldn't care if they were older or younger, I wish I had just one sibling."

兄弟

"Nicely done, Aiko. You hit the target ten out of ten times." Itachi said when he and his younger siblings had made it to their backyard so that she could show him what Sasuke had taught her. Aiko pursed her lips in dissatisfaction.

"Yeah, but my shots are all over the target. Sasuke-niichan's are grouped much closer."

"Niisan can hit the dead center every time." Sasuke remarked.

"You're both still young. You're not even in the Academy yet." Itachi told them, "There's no need to rush." Sasuke shrugged in response to this and headed inside while Aiko followed Itachi to the target to retrieve her shuriken. "Why were you suddenly so determined to learn this, Aiko?" Itachi asked, a note of concern in his voice, "I thought you weren't interested in training before entering the Academy?"

Aiko's gaze dropped, her expression somewhat unreadable. "That is how I felt before, but... After Mama and Papa died, things changed..." Tears welled in her eyes as she continued, "Everything changed." She wiped her eyes, not feeling the need to elaborate on that statement before she continued, "I couldn't help but think, 'If I had started training sooner, if I had been stronger, maybe they'd still be here.' Of course, I'm aware that the past cannot be changed, but because of that, I decided that I would work hard to get strong. As strong as possible. I know that... there's no guarantee that I'll never lose another loved one, but... At the very least, I don't want to ever find myself simply standing back and watching again..."

Itachi nodded in understanding. In this regard, he and Aiko were very similar. Sasuke was different. He trained earnestly out of a sense of rivalry with Itachi. He desperately wanted to catch up to him despite being five years younger, which was why he was so modest about his own abilities. Aiko was different. She didn't particularly have anybody that she compared herself to. She just wanted to be strong.

兄弟

A few days later, Aiko was playing in the park with Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura as usual. Itachi was, as expected, training to prepare for his exam, whilst Aiko and Sasuke had continued their routine of training during the mornings. Everything was peaceful and quiet, until a shower of cherry blossoms began to swirl around the four of them, and all four stopped in their tracks. Aiko was a bit confused. The cherry blossoms had only just started to bloom, they shouldn't be falling like this yet. She felt her eyelids grow heavy and her mind surged in alarm. She quickly clasped her hands together in a sign. "Kai!"

Just as Aiko felt the fatigue leave her body, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura all dropped to the ground.

"Oh... who would've thought that she would see through the genjutsu?" A voice remarked as Aiko looked around in panic. She gasped in fear as three genin from the Hidden Stone stepped out in front of her. They had to have come here for the Chunin exam, but why had they tried to cast a genjutsu on her and her friends?

"She really is a prodigy, just like we were told." The lone female of the group said. Aiko took a step back and then suddenly sensed a presence behind her. Before she could react, a strong arm wrapped around her upper body, pinning her to somebody's chest as a cloth was held over her nose and mouth. Aiko squirmed and desperately tried to scream, but to no avail. She felt her eyelids grow heavy as her body became weak, and then her consciousness faded.

兄弟

Uchiha Shisui was on his way home from a mission when he spotted three children sprawled on the ground of the nearby playground, one of whom he instantly recognized, even without the very obvious Uchiha Crest on his back. "Sasuke-kun!" He rushed over to Itachi's younger brother and knelt next to him, quickly realizing that the child—and probably the other two as well—was under a genjutsu. He placed a hand on Sasuke's back and formed a sign with his other hand. "Kai!"

Sasuke opened his eyes and blinked, looking up at Shisui as his vision came back into focus. "Shisui-san? What's going on?" He sat up, looking around in confusion, "Where's Aiko?"

Shisui frowned. Sasuke's confusion was understandable. That wasn't what concerned him. "Was she here with you before?"

"Yeah." Sasuke said. "What happened?"

"Somebody placed a genjutsu on all of you." Shisui answered as he moved to awaken the other two children. The pink-haired girl with the Haruno crest on her back was unfamiliar to him, but he was fairly certain that the boy with the spiky blond hair was Uzumaki Naruto, the son of the late Fourth Hokage.

"What happened?" Naruto asked in confusion as he rubbed his nose, due to having landed flat on his face.

"Isn't it kind of early for the cherry blossoms to fall?" The Haruno girl asked as she rubbed her eyes. Shisui wondered how she could even see anything beneath the wispy bangs that were covering her eyes.

Suddenly Naruto's bright blue eyes locked onto Shisui, "Hm? Who are you, Niichan?"

"Uchiha Shisui." The teenager told him, "It looks like somebody placed the four of you under genjutsu and then took Aiko-chan."

"No... I don't think so..." Sasuke said suddenly, "At least, that's not exactly what happened." He turned to Shisui with a grave look on his face and something in his hand. "This is Aiko's handkerchief. If she were caught in a genjutsu, there's no way that she would've been able to drop this, and it couldn't have fallen out of her bag on accident. She keeps the flap fastened with a snap."

"Which means that either she wasn't caught in the genjutsu, or she saw through it." Shisui agreed, placing a hand on Sasuke's head, "Good work spotting that, Sasuke-kun." He turned his attention to all three children, "It's too dangerous here. I'm going to take you to Sasuke-kun's house." He looked at Sasuke again, "Then I'll find Itachi, and we'll find Aiko-chan and rescue her."

* * *

This is probably going to be my longest story ever, as I don't really have an exact length in mind. It will eventually end more or less where the original storyline does, but for the time being, I haven't even made it to the genin years! I don't really mind though. I like focusing on Sasuke and the others when they are all little kids and aren't yet concerned with who's a prodigy and who can barely write his own name.


	7. Itachi's Baby Sister

"Do you have any idea who would want to kidnap Aiko-chan?" Shisui asked as he and Itachi dashed through the village in search of clues.

"No..." Itachi replied, obviously aggravated, "She did mention to me before that she is afraid of Shimura Danzō, because of a conflict between him and her parents, but it's hard to imagine that he would've ordered a subordinate to kidnap her in broad daylight."

Shisui nodded, "The problem is that there was nobody around who saw what happened, so we have no way of knowing who were looking for."

"Right." Itachi said thoughtfully, "The Uchiha aren't like the Hyūga. Which children in the clan have awakened their Sharingan is a strict secret. With that in mind, Uzumaki Naruto-kun should've been the more likely target. And there's no way that man from before could have snuck into the village."

"You're right, not with security increased for the Chunin Exams—Wait! That's it!" Shisui said suddenly, "The Chunin Exam! Any of the shinobi from another village could've taken her. The most likely culprit would be a team who was eliminated after the second exam. We should start by checking with the guards at the A-Un gate to see if any of them have left recently."

Itachi nodded and followed his friend, trying to stay calm while his mind raced with possible reasons for Aiko's abduction.

"A team from the Hidden Stone left with their Jonin instructor a little less than an hour ago." One of the guards told Shisui when they arrived.

"Where they carrying anything when they left?" Shisui asked.

"Just the wooden packs that they brought with them when they came here." The guard answered.

"How big are those?" The young Jonin inquired.

"Um, about the length of their backs or so, and about the width of their torsos... maybe two feet deep?"

"The length of their backs..." Shisui said thoughtfully.

"On an adult, that would plenty big enough to carry a small child." Itachi confirmed, following Shisui's train of thought.

"You're right." Shisui said, "We need to catch up to them before they reach the border. The question is: how do we track them?"

"What's going on?" A voice asked, and a young man walked over to them with a somewhat bored expression. Itachi recognized him as Hatake Kakashi, the man who had saved him from Uchiha Obito two years prior.

"Somebody put a group of children under genjutsu and then abducted Uchiha Aiko." Shisui answered, "We think it may have been a group of genin from Iwagakure and their Jonin instructor."

Kakashi's visible eye widened slightly, "Uchiha Aiko?" His expression turned serious, "Do you have something that could be used to track her scent?"

"Yes." Itachi replied as he pulled out Aiko's handkerchief, "My little brother Sasuke found this on the ground when Shisui released him from the genjutsu. It belongs to Aiko. We think that she may have seen through the genjutsu and tried to resist."

"But four-year-old girls aren't exactly a match for adult Jonin." Shisui concluded, "So she dropped this for us."

Kakashi nodded. He pricked his finger with a kunai and then wove a series of signs. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" A single pug appeared in the spot from a puff of smoke. "Pakkun," The young man began, "We think a little girl has been kidnapped from Konoha." He took the handkerchief from Itachi, "We need you to track her scent."

The pug nodded before sniffing the handkerchief, and then the ground nearby before looking over his shoulder at Kakashi, "It's faint, but it seems she's been here. Judging by the smell, she was probably being carried."

Kakashi nodded to the dog, "Follow it." Pakkun immediately took off and Kakashi and the two Uchiha boys followed him.

"But why would they target Aiko-chan?" Shisui wondered now that they were on the right track, "Jealously toward Itachi for completing the second exam alone? Revenge for beating them?"

"Just because she has the Uchiha Crest on her back doesn't mean she'd be close to Itachi. People don't necessarily know everyone within their own clan. Also, you said that Sasuke was with her. He bears a resemblance to Itachi, so that would've made him the more likely target in that scenario." Kakashi replied, "More likely, it's because of her birth parents."

"Nichi-jisan and Megumi-basan?" Itachi asked in slight confusion.

"Yes." Kakashi replied, "The two of you are probably too young to know this, but Megumi-san became an asset to Konoha during the war. Her skills at predicting the enemies' intentions based on their movements made it that much easier for the Nara Clan to form counter-strategies. Because of this, Iwagakure attempted to capture her while she was on a mission to survey the enemy's movements, but they were foiled by Uchiha Nichi."

"I know a little bit about that." Itachi remarked, "The two of them eloped on their way back to Konoha, right?"

"Yes, but that is, at least in theory, irrelevant to the current situation." Kakashi replied, "Uchiha Nichi adapted to the Sharingan extremely quickly. He had only just awakened it that day when his own cell had been wiped out. Aiko-chan has already awakened her Sharingan. Couple that with the intelligence of her mother..."

"And she has the potential to be even more valuable than either of her parents were alone." Shisui concluded.

"Exactly." Kakashi confirmed.

"But nobody outside the village should know about that." Itachi said in confusion, "Aiko was adopted by my parents. Any foreigner would think that she was their biological daughter. And they definitely shouldn't know about her Sharingan."

"You're right." Kakashi said with a nod, "Unless they were extremely familiar with the Uchiha, nobody would realize that one of Aiko's parents was from a different clan. And she's hardly had the chance to become famous for her Sharingan when she can't even sustain it yet. Unfortunately, that means that somewhere, there must've been an intelligence leak."

"You mean that somebody from Konoha _told _Iwagakure about her?" Shisui asked, "What would anybody have to gain from betraying the Leaf in that manner?" It was a rather roundabout way to commit treason.

"We can't be certain without concrete evidence, but the most likely scenario would be somebody from the Shimura Clan." Kakashi replied.

"Aiko mentioned something about that to me before." Itachi said, "But what exactly is the history between her and the Shimura?"

"Aiko's mother was betrothed to the next head of the Shimura." Kakashi explained, "It was an arrangement agreed upon by her parents and Lord Danzō. Megumi wasn't given a say in the matter."

"That's pretty archaic..." Shisui remarked.

Kakashi nodded in agreement, "Even among the Uchiha and Hyūga, the heirs to the head family are allowed to choose their spouse, as long as they choose somebody from within the clan, to preserve purity in the bloodline. The Shimura don't have a Kekkei Genkai, so there's no need for such a strict practice. But Megumi-san was the brightest member of their clan in terms of intelligence. They wanted her to marry the heir to the clan in the hopes of making the clan stronger. Like I said, she wasn't given a say. Furthermore, for a long time, there has been some bad blood between the Uchiha and Shimura. When Uchiha Nichi ignored that conflict by rescuing her, Megumi-san fell in love with the man who had viewed her simply as a comrade, without concern for which clan she was from. Needless to say, when they returned to Konoha after the fact and announced their elopement, the Shimura were furious. It seems they had mistaken Megumi to be a meek girl who would do as she was told, but in fact, she was quite headstrong. When she remained steadfast in her commitment to Nichi-san, the Shimura disowned her, and she mutually disowned them." The white-haired man glanced over at Itachi, "Under other circumstances, your father probably would've been reluctant to accept Megumi-san into the clan, but as it was, he was impressed by her decision and her determination to choose her own path."

"There was a big celebration in the clan when Aiko was born." Shisui recalled, "Everyone had high hopes for her."

"Yes, but to the Shimura, Aiko is a child who should never have been born; a mingling of Uchiha and Shimura blood that should never have existed." Kakashi replied.

"So somebody told Iwagakure about Aiko in order to get rid of her." Itachi surmised. Kakashi nodded.

"That's the most likely scenario. There's even a chance that they planned to ambush her kidnappers once they were outside of the village, kill Aiko, and claim that she just happened to die in the crossfire." He warned, causing Itachi's eyes to narrow, "In any case, the sooner we catch up to them, the better. If we capture the ones who took her, the intelligence division can figure out the rest."

"We're almost there." Pakkun said over his shoulder. The four of them came upon the team from Iwagakure, who were walking down the road at an unhurried pace.

"Hold it!" Kakashi called. The jonin and his three subordinates turned around to face the slapped-together team-of-three-plus-a-dog.

"What do you Konoha shinobi want with us?" The jonin asked in annoyance, "My students were eliminated from the Chunin Exam, so we're going home."

"That's all well and good," Kakashi replied, "Except I think you're trying to take something of ours with you. Or rather, someone."

"Where's your proof?" The jonin demanded, "Are you trying to start something with the Hidden Stone?"

"These two are from the Uchiha Clan." Kakashi replied while gesturing to Itachi and Shisui, "They've already confirmed that you've abducted Uchiha Aiko."

The jonin smirked, setting down his pack and opening it slowly, "She really is brilliant for her age. She saw right through the genjutsu that my student cast. Even the other Uchiha kid who was with her was knocked out by it, but we had to use a more direct method with her." He pulled the bound and unconscious Aiko out of the pack and held a kunai to her neck, "But I suggest you back down. Brilliant as she is, I'd sooner kill her than let her become useful to Konoha."

"You might want to double-check where that kunai is aiming." Itachi said evenly.

"What?" Suddenly the jonin became aware that he was holding the blade not up to Aiko, but his female student, who had gone rigid with fear.

"S-Sensei..." The frightened genin managed nervously. As he quickly let her go, the jonin looked and saw that Itachi was already cradling Aiko in his arms.

"Since when...?" The man gasped, realizing that he had been caught in a genjutsu that had been carefully crafted by Itachi.

"From the very beginning." Shisui said with a smirk.

"Aiko is my precious younger sister." Itachi told him, "I wasn't willing to take any chance of harm coming to her."

"Itachi, take Aiko to safety." Kakashi told him, "We'll take care of these four." He didn't know Itachi well, but Kakashi was perceptive enough to realize that the usually composed ten-year-old was on the verge of losing his temper.

"Right." Itachi said, leaping off into the trees as Shisui and Kakashi prepared to engage the enemy.

"So, do you guys wanna do this the easy way or the hard way?" Shisui asked, "Either way, we're taking you back to Konoha." The three genin whimpered in alarm while the jonin growled.

兄弟

"Aiko, wake up." Itachi urged gently, having already removed the cloth that had been used to gag his younger sister. Aiko groaned and slowly opened her eyes.

"Itachi-niichan...?" She was clearly disoriented.

"It's all right. You're safe now." Itachi assured her as he carefully cut the ropes that bound her wrists and ankles.

"Wh-what happened?" Aiko asked, her expression becoming frightened as her cognizance returned.

"Ninja from the Hidden Stone tried to kidnap you." Itachi explained, "Shisui came by the park and found Sasuke and your friends under a genjutsu. When he released them, Sasuke found your handkerchief, and we were able to use that to track you before they left the Land of Fire."

"Are Sasuke-niichan and the others all right?!" Aiko exclaimed in concern.

"They're fine." Itachi assured her, "The genjutsu didn't hurt them." Aiko's lip quivered as she looked down.

"I-I saw through the genjutsu and broke it, b-but... I-I didn't have time to..."

"I know." Itachi replied as he hugged her close to reassure her, "It wasn't your fault, Aiko. You actually did very well. Because you dropped the handkerchief, it was easy for us to find you." He rubbed Aiko's back as she clung to him in fright, "Don't worry. From here on out, I will definitely protect you."

* * *

Unlike in Second Survivor, Itachi does think of Aiko as his younger sister in this story and treasures her as much as Sasuke. Of course, this is a non-massacre AU, so he won't have to try to choose between the clan and his village. :) Also, the story of the conflict between Aiko's parents and the Shimura is the same in both stories.


	8. The Star of Hope

Fugaku entered the Hokage's office with Mikoto at his side. Sasuke dashed past the both of them when he saw Aiko standing beside Itachi.

"Are you okay, Aiko?" He asked, and the little girl nodded.

"Yeah, thanks to Itachi-niichan, Shisui-niichan, and Kakashi-san."

"Do we have any new information?" Fugaku asked of the Hokage as he shut the door. The Third sighed.

"The intelligence division managed to learn that the Shinobi in question were ordered by their superiors to kidnap Aiko, but they were not told who the source of the information about her was. The Tsuchikage denies any knowledge of this matter."

"Of course he does." Fugaku snorted, "But it should be a simple matter for the head of the Yamanaka to find out if he was the one who gave the order."

"Even if he confirmed it, then what?" Aiko asked, her face dead serious, "Konoha can't make demands of Iwagakure without risking war. I won't stand for a war starting over me; not when I was brought home, safe and sound. It's bitter, but the only option is to accept Iwagakure's allowing us to deal with the abductors ourselves as a halfhearted peace offering."

"We do that, and then what, Aiko?" Fugaku asked her, speaking sternly only because he was concerned. "They try this again? Next time, you might not be able to leave something behind."

"Even so, I'm the one they're targeting, so shouldn't I get a say if the outcome could be so widespread?!" She exclaimed.

"Enough." The Hokage said, just loudly enough to break up the argument, "You are both right in your own way. We can't risk war, and we also cannot allow Aiko to be targeted again. That is why I am assigning a member of the ANBU to watch over her." His gaze drifted toward Aiko, "You won't see him, Aiko, but he will always be near you."

"What about the possibility that the leak came from someone in the Shimura Clan?" Kakashi asked with concern, and the Hokage looked at him, knowing what he was getting at without his saying it directly.

"That is why I'm assigning someone who will not be influenced by Danzō."

Kakashi seemed to understand who he meant and nodded.

Abruptly, Aiko hugged Fugaku's legs. "I'm sorry I yelled, Ojisan. I know you're just worried because you care about me, but I care about Konoha."

Fugaku sighed and knelt down, placing his hands on Aiko's shoulders, "I know you do Aiko, and you understand the situation far more deeply than most children your age would. I just wish that this wasn't a situation that you have to consider."

Aiko looked down at the ground, "I wish I was stronger, so that I wouldn't keep putting the people around me in danger..."

Fugaku's eyes widened before his expression softened and he placed a hand on her head, "Don't get impatient, Hoshi. You're still young."

"Hoshi?" Aiko asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"I'll explain later." Fugaku assured her, "For now, let's go home."

兄弟

"Itachi, I know you're training for the third exam right now, but would you mind going hunting for me tomorrow?" Mikoto said at dinner that night, "I'm in the mood to cook some wild game."

"Sure." Itachi said with a nod.

"You go hunting, Itachi-niichan?" Aiko asked.

"From time to time." He answered.

"Wild game tastes better than animals raised on a farm!" Sasuke told her.

"Oh...?" Aiko asked with interest.

"Have you never had wild game before, Aiko?" Fugaku asked.

"Unh-unh." Aiko said with a shake of her head, "Papa worked the night shift at the precinct so that he could be home with me while Mama was at the Hokage's office in the day, so he didn't have time to hunt. He always made dinner just before Mama came home and went to work right after we ate."

"Didn't your mom ever cook?" Sasuke asked.

"Mama couldn't cook." Aiko said with a sweat-drop, "She was more likely to set things on fire, which was weird, since she couldn't use Katon." She didn't notice Sasuke's eyes widening as she continued, "And then it would get worse when she tried to use Suiton to put it out for some reason." Now Itachi and Fugaku were staring at the child with wide eyes too. "Papa eventually banned her from the kitchen." The child concluded, leaving her father and brothers stunned while Mikoto burst out laughing.

"When I was in the Academy, I heard about a younger student who nearly burned down the school during one of the girls' cooking classes." Mikoto explained, "Now I know who it was! That explains the smoke I occasionally saw coming from your house!"

Aiko laughed nervously, "Papa always said that Mama was better concocting strategies than concocting food, whatever concocting means."

Fugaku chuckled nervously, "Well let's just hope you got Nichi's talent for cooking then, since we already know you have Mayumi's brain."

兄弟

After dinner that night was over, Aiko followed Fugaku out of the room. "Ojisan? You said earlier that you would explain to me why you called me Hoshi."

Fugaku looked over his shoulder at the child, then smiled softly and gestured for her to follow him, "Come with me." He led Aiko to another room in the house, where he retrieved a book from a shelf and sat down, looking mildly surprised as Aiko instinctively climbed into his lap to view the book with him, something Sasuke never tried to do. He smiled to himself, thinking how different his cousin's daughter was from his own children and opened the book. "Look at this." He told her as he flipped through the pages before finding the one he wanted.

It was a photo album, and the photo on the page appeared to be of the entire Uchiha Clan gathered around Nichi and Megumi with a newborn baby in Megumi's arms. A banner above the gathering read "Welcome home, Nichi, Megumi, and Aiko-chan."

"Is this from when I was born?" Aiko asked.

"That's right." Fugaku told her, "We knew that Megumi was estranged from her clan, and we wanted her to feel like she belonged in ours, so the entire clan got together to welcome you when your parents brought you home from the hospital." As Aiko gazed at the photo, seeking out the faces and expressions of people she knew, Fugaku continued, "Contrary to the Shimura, everyone in the Uchiha had high hopes for you. We still do. Ever since Megumi announced her pregnancy, we'd all hoped that you would inherit your mother's intelligence and your father's keen eyes and talent, and it seems that you have." Fugaku said. When Aiko's expression seemed a bit troubled by this statement, he added, "But now I've learned that you've inherited something even more important."

At this, Aiko turned and looked up at him with her large black eyes, "What's that?"

"Your father's light and your mother's frankness." Fugaku replied, "To be honest Aiko, until recently, things have been pretty tense within the clan. We were blamed and punished for a tragedy we did not cause and most of the clan was very angry because of that. As my closest relative, your father was my advisor, and he warned me that lashing out in anger would only bring disaster upon the clan. He advised me to reach out to the other clans for help instead of trying to handle things completely on our own. Although I took his feelings into consideration, I dismissed him as my advisor because of my own anger about the problem. Now I realize how wrong I was. In the end, it was your mother who solved the problem by figuring out the true culprit and informing the Hokage in the letter that she entrusted to you. In her final act, she saved the clan. Megumi was, of course, a member of the Uchiha by marriage, but if your father had not been willing to reach beyond clan boundaries to help her during the war, the outcome would've been very different. You have that same warmth as him. You judge others on their actions alone, without concern for anything else. And just like your mother, you openly speak your mind. Like today when you expressed your concerns about confronting Iwa. Some people might think that to be a weakness, but I think it is, perhaps, your greatest strength. By openly voicing your concerns, you have the potential to avert disaster. Those traits are more important than your talent for analysis or your keen observational skills." He placed a hand on her head, "Did you know that the kanji for your father's name also means 'sun'? And the sun is actually a star. That's what you are, Aiko. You are the star that shines brightest among the Uchiha. A star of hope for our future." Aiko's eyes widened, and then her face lit up in delight.

At that moment, Itachi happened to walk into the room and noticed the photo, "Oh! I remember this!" He said as he sat down next to Fugaku, "Sasuke got so jealous when Megumi-basan let me hold Aiko and started throwing a fit."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Niisan?" Sasuke asked, having followed Itachi into the room. He sat at Fugaku's other side and Fugaku turned the page and Itachi pointed to another photo of the same event, but with a ten-month-old Sasuke screaming inside his stroller while reaching desperately for Itachi, who was holding the newborn Aiko in his arms. The five-year-old Itachi was looking rather bewildered by his younger brother's reaction.

"See Sasuke?" The older boy remarked fondly, "You didn't like that I was holding Aiko instead of you, so you started throwing a tantrum. I had no choice but to pass Aiko to Izumi so that I could pick you up." The next photo showed exactly that. Izumi was cuddling the newborn baby, while Itachi was now holding a suddenly content Sasuke with a soft expression of fondness.

"Oh, I remember that." Mikoto said as she entered the room as well and reached over her husband's shoulder and turned the page again. "And then Fugaku tried to hold her because everyone wanted her to be held by the clan head and _she_ started fussing. So Fugaku handed her to me, but it didn't help. She just kept crying until Megumi took her back."

Aiko laughed at this, "How come I was okay with Itachi-niichan and Izumi-neechan, but not the two of you?"

"Who knows?" Mikoto said with a smile, "Babies are peculiar in who they decide they like and dislike. Sometimes that changes as they grow and sometimes it doesn't."

兄弟

The following day, Aiko followed Sasuke and Itachi to the front door when they headed out to go hunting as Megumi had requested. "Can I go with you?" She asked innocently.

"You don't know how to use a bow." Itachi pointed out.

"But I know how to set traps." Aiko replied, but Itachi shook his head.

"That doesn't mean you'll be able to stomach eating something after you've seen it while it's still alive."

"You should just stay here today, Aiko." Sasuke said bluntly, "You're always getting into trouble anyway." When Aiko pouted at this, Sasuke tapped her forehead with his middle and index fingers, "I'll teach you how to use a bow tomorrow. See you later." Aiko looked stunned as Sasuke headed off with Itachi. She had seen Itachi poke Sasuke's forehead in the same manner any number of times, but she had never expected that it would be something that either of them would share with her. She touched her forehead and smiled to herself before heading back inside. Since Sasuke was gone with Itachi, she decided to go ask Fugaku to help her with her shuriken jutsu instead; or maybe play hide-and-seek with her, since Sasuke and Naruto had gotten sick of losing to her and Sakura.

"How can you accept this, Lord Fugaku?!" A man's voice demanded just as she turned the corner. Aiko narrowed her eyes slightly and pressed herself against the wall as she suppressed her chakra to avoid being noticed. "Iwagakure nearly succeeded in kidnapping Aiko, who is already thought to be one of the brightest in the next generation of our clan, and the Hokage isn't doing anything about it! It's an insult to the Uchiha!" The voice continued. Aiko didn't recognize the voice immediately, but she suspected that it was one of three "hot-bloods" within the clan that Nichi had mentioned to her in the past.

"I'm frustrated as well, Yashiro." Fugaku said calmly, "But what are we supposed to do? This kind of thing isn't exclusive to our clan. The Hyuga suffered much more than this when Kumogakure attempted to kidnap their heiress, and you didn't see them kicking up a fuss. Besides, it's not that 'nothing' is being done. Konoha just isn't seeking reparation beyond being allowed to deal with the culprits personally."

"Then what about the matter of the intelligence leak?!" Another voice demanded, "Somebody in Konoha _told_ Iwagakure that Nichi and Megumi had a daughter, and we all know who it probably was!"

"We can't just go pointing fingers without any proof, Inabi." Fugaku stated.

"Why not? _He_ did!" A third voice demanded. "And even though they've stopped keeping us under surveillance, the village still hasn't offered any reparation for all the problems they caused by blaming us for the Kyuubi incident!" That had to be Tekka, the third member of this group. Without warning, Aiko suddenly threw the sliding door open, startling the three men. Even Fugaku was surprised, having not realized that Aiko had been there. She glared at the three men, her Sharingan blazing in anger.

"Stop it!" She yelled angrily, "_I'm_ the one who insisted on not making Iwagakure apologize! My mother wasn't Uchiha by blood, but she still worked very hard to restore peace between our clan and the village, right up until she died! I won't let that peace be destroyed because hot-bloods like _you_ stir up trouble every chance you get! Mama was the one who proved we were innocent! The only thing people like _you _did is give them more reason to suspect us!" Tears flowed down her cheeks as her breath hitched, "I won't let you undo all of Mama's hard work! I won't..." A wave of dizziness overtook her and Aiko collapsed, but Fugaku saw it coming and caught her in his arms, "Otousan..." She murmured in a daze, "Don't let them fan the flames of hatred... its fire will consume us..."

Fugaku sighed as Aiko lost consciousness entirely and pulled her into his lap. "Tch..." Yashiro muttered, "Nichi sure didn't teach his girl how to respect her elders..." When he heard this, Fugaku's head snapped up, and all three men suddenly shook with fear as they saw that now _his_ Sharingan was being directed at them.

"For your information..." Fugaku began as he shifted Aiko into a better position, "I'm the one who told Aiko that she shouldn't be afraid to speak her mind. She isn't as reserved as Itachi and Sasuke are, and I consider that to be a good thing. This child has more wisdom in her little body than the three of you combined. She may be Megumi and Nichi's daughter, but don't forget that she is _my _daughter now too."

The three men gulped and made a mental note to _never_ try to argue against four-year-old Uchiha Aiko again, lest they face Wicked Eye Fugaku's wrath.

* * *

This chapter includes an important bit about Aiko and Fugaku's relationship. I like to think of Aiko as somehow bringing out the best in Fugaku due to having a completely different personality from the other family members. I mean, yeah, Fugaku was a lousy father, but he did express concern for his children from time-to-time, such as when he said that Itachi should spend time actually playing with somebody his own age instead of constantly training with Shisui, who was several years older than him. He even kicked Itachi out of the house when the village forced him to take a week off and Itachi had spent the first three days entirely with Sasuke, telling him to go hang out with somebody his own age.


	9. Following my Brothers

Aiko woke up a few hours later to find that Fugaku was sitting on the veranda with her. "Otousan?" She asked in confusion, and Fugaku looked down at her.

"Oh, you're awake."

"What happened?" Aiko asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"When you got angry at my subordinates earlier, it activated your Sharingan, but since you don't have enough chakra to sustain it, you passed out." Fugaku answered.

"Oh." Aiko said, remembering Nichi saying something to her about that in the past, "I'm sorry I lost my temper."

"Don't worry about it." Fugaku said as he stood up and took her hand, "When it comes to tempers, those three don't have any right to talk. Come on, I think Mikoto has lunch ready."

"Okay." Aiko said as she walked inside with him.

"You sure surprised me though, Aiko." Fugaku remarked once they had begun the meal, "I didn't even realize you were there until you opened the door. Even Itachi wasn't that good at concealing his presence at your age."

Aiko blushed, knowing that that was the highest of praise she could receive in this scenario. "Papa taught me how to suppress my chakra and hide from people and how to move without being seen or heard." She explained.

"Ah, that explains it." Fugaku said with a nod, "Nichi _was_ very skilled at infiltration from what I recall."

"Even so, it's not good to eavesdrop, Aiko." Mikoto told her.

"I know that, but they were talking _about me_, so I thought I had a right to listen." Aiko answered matter-of-factly, "But if anyone noticed me, they would've all stopped talking as if I wasn't somehow involved in the conversation already."

Fugaku chuckled, "You really know how to predict people's reactions to things." Aiko just shrugged.

兄弟

After lunch, Aiko went out to meet Sakura and Naruto at the usual playground.

"Aiko-chan!" Naruto called cheerfully when he saw her.

"Are you all right? We were worried after you got taken yesterday." Sakura said.

"Yeah." Aiko said with a nod, "It's been taken care of, so something like that shouldn't happen again."

"Hey, where's Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"He went hunting with Itachi-niichan today." Aiko said before pouting, "They wouldn't let me come with them."

"Then how about I teach you how to fish?" Naruto suggested.

"You know how to fish, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, and I can cook them once I catch them too!" Naruto said with a grin.

"Wow!" Aiko exclaimed, "Those are good survival skills for somebody who hasn't entered the Academy yet!"

Naruto grinned and chuckled before leading the girls to the forest.

兄弟

"I got a bite!" Aiko exclaimed happily about an hour later.

"Great! Bring it in!" Naruto told her. The dark-haired girl strained against the tension in her pole.

"It's strong!" She exclaimed.

"Sakura-chan, let's help her!" Naruto said. Sakura nodded and the two of them also grabbed onto Aiko's pole. "One, two...!" All three of them yanked the pole with all their might and a large fish came flying out of the river, landing in the grass behind them. "Wow! It's huge!" Naruto exclaimed, "This is a great catch, Aiko-chan!" He turned and looked at Aiko, who was staring at the fish in horror. "Hm? What's wrong?"

"...Itachi-niichan was right... There's no way I can eat something after I've seen it while it's still alive..." Aiko explained.

Naruto sweat-dropped, "Well in that case, do you mind if I take it home? My mom can cook it for dinner."

"Sure..."

Naruto grinned with delight and picked up the fish, "Let's take it to my house now so it stays fresh!"

兄弟

Kushina happily welcomed Aiko and Sakura when Naruto returned home with them. She put the fish away for later and then offered the children a snack.

"So if Sasuke's hunting with Itachi, what did you do this morning, Aiko?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto! Don't talk with your mouth full!" Kushina scolded.

"Well I was going to ask Otousan to help me train." Aiko said, "But I kind of got mad at some grownups in our clan and activated my Sharingan by mistake, so I wound up passing out instead."

"Sharingan?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"It's something that only the members of the Uchiha Clan have, and most people don't awaken it until they're older than me." Aiko explained, "The rest is hard to explain."

Naruto nodded slowly.

"What does the Sharingan look like?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Um... Auntie Kushina, do you have any paper and colored pencils?" Aiko asked.

"Sure." Kushina replied. She left the room momentarily and then returned with the requested items. Aiko took the colored pencils and began to draw carefully.

"The Sharingan is a visual prowess, which means it's a special power of the eyes." Aiko explained as she drew. "When it's activated, the appearance of the eye changes. Right now, my Sharingan looks something like this." She held up her drawing to show a red circle with a single black dot for a pupil and a single tomoe in the middle of the iris, slightly to the side. "This is what most people's Sharingan looks like when they first awaken it, although sometimes they have more than one tomoe in each eye. My papa and Itachi-niichan both started out with two. The number of tomoe is somehow related to the skill of the ninja... I think. Or maybe it's something more to do with chakra reserves? I'm not exactly sure. But the more tomoe in the eyes, the more powerful their Sharingan is. The most anyone can have is three in each eye."

"Wow." Naruto said, "Does Sasuke have eyes like this too?"

"Yeah." Aiko said with a nod, "But even though we've both awakened ours, neither of us can really use it yet, because we don't have enough chakra."

"What can the Sharingan do?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Um..." Aiko said thoughtfully, "Well it's most famous for enabling the user to cast powerful genjutsu. Much more powerful than anything I can cast now. And I've heard that you can also see in the dark with it."

"Whoa, that's awesome-ttebayo!" Naruto exclaimed.

Aiko smiled a little sadly, "Mama once told me that the Sharingan looks like beautiful rubies, and that when it's dark, you can see them glow."

Naruto and Sakura both looked amazed, and then Naruto realized something, "Wait a minute, when you were crying a while back about your parents... being gone... didn't you say something about the Sharingan?"

"Naruto!" Kushina scolded, horrified by his insensitive question, but Aiko shook her head.

"No, it's okay Auntie Kushina. I forgot at the time that Naruto-kun didn't know what the Sharingan is." She looked down at the table, "Yes I did... the man who killed them... was trying to take Sasuke-niichan and I because he wanted to collect children who were from the Uchiha Clan, because of the Sharingan.

"Collect?" Sakura echoed, "How can you 'collect' children?"

"I don't know either." Aiko admitted, "But because of that man, Mama and Papa..." She sighed, "Now there's a law in the village that anyone who isn't at least a Chunin or a former Chunin and has special abilities like the Sharingan, or comes from a bloodline that has them, can't leave the village without a jonin to escort and protect them."

"I thought it was just children who hadn't become genin yet?" Kushina said in confusion, and Aiko looked at her.

"I think Lord Third changed it after what happened yesterday, since this is the second time that somebody has come to the village and tried to kidnap a child with a Kekkei Genkai."

"Kekkei Genkai?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"That's just what these kinds of abilities are called." Aiko explained.

"Oh."

兄弟

"Ehh..." Aiko said in amazement as she looked at the bird meat that was on her plate. "Sasuke-niichan, Itachi-niichan, did you really get this from the woods?"

"We got three of them!" Sasuke exclaimed. "Niisan shot two out of the sky, and I shot down one in a tree!"

"Amazing!" Aiko said. Even if she had decided that she didn't like hunting, she was fascinated by the thought of somebody shooting arrows from a bow with such precision.

"What did you do with your friends today, Aiko?" Mikoto asked.

"Naruto-kun taught me how to fish." Aiko answered, "We caught a fish so big that it took all three of us to pull it out!"

"So where is it?" Sasuke asked.

"We gave it to Auntie Kushina." She told him, "I bet it'll last them a week!" Suddenly she made a face, "Then again, maybe not... Naruto-kun can eat a ton of food. I don't know where he puts it all..."

At this, her family laughed in amusement.

兄弟

"All right, now..." Sasuke began as he brought Aiko out to one of the Uchiha Clan's private training grounds, "Shooting arrows is similar to throwing kunai. Just like kunai and shuriken, arrows don't go exactly straight. They eventually hit the ground, so you have to aim higher than where you actually want to them to hit. They go a lot farther than kunai and shuriken though, and that's why 'Kaasan said we had to come out here instead of practicing at the house." Aiko nodded in acknowledgement, not bothering to point out to Sasuke that she instinctively knew all of this. After all, the things that he had just told her were simple physics. Sasuke showed her the correct way to nock an arrow to a bow, draw it back, and then shoot it. His arrow just missed the center of the target. He made a slight sound of annoyance, but nonetheless turned and held the bow out to Aiko. "Now you try."

As it turned out, teaching Aiko how to use a bow was a lot more difficult than Sasuke had thought it would be. Being one year younger and a girl, Aiko wasn't quite as strong as he was, and she found the bowstring difficult to pull back. As a result, most of her arrows never even made it to the target. Sasuke sweat-dropped as Aiko puffed out her cheeks in annoyance at this. She spent the next three hours trying to get at least one arrow to make it to the target before Sasuke finally dragged her home for lunch.

"I can't give up!" She told Sasuke, "I won't be satisfied until I can hit the target!"

Sasuke sweat-dropped, thinking that his sister was a little bit _too_ into this, which was a lot, coming from him. "I think we need to build up your strength a little bit first, but we're meeting Naruto and Sakura at the park after lunch."

"Then I'll work on strength after dinner!"

* * *

LOL. Even though Aiko knows that she doesn't really _need_ to be a strong kunoichi yet, she gets easily frustrated when she isn't able to do something that she wants to learn how to do with at least minimal success, which is why she's now bound and determined to be able to at least hit the target with her arrows. She also does not like being left behind by Sasuke and Itachi, although she lacks a sense of rivalry with them. She understands that Sasuke is a year older, has had more training, and is therefore naturally better than her at most things, to say nothing of Itachi, who is six years older and being allowed to take the Chunin Exam on his own, so she isn't too concerned with trying to catch up to either one.


	10. The Third Round of the Chuunin Exam

A few weeks later, the final round of the Chuunin Exam finally arrived, and nearly everyone was eager to see the skills of Uchiha Itachi, who had taken the second exam alone and still broke the record for fastest time. Aiko and Sasuke were sitting with Mikoto and Fugaku, along with Shisui, who was Itachi's best friend. Almost directly behind them sat Naruto with his mother, Kushina, and Sakura with her parents, even though nearly everybody else in this part of the stadium was from the Uchiha Clan. Nobody in the crowd was all that pleased when it was announced that Itachi's opponent in the first round had defaulted before they even began.

"Just how strong is your brother that somebody would do that?" Naruto asked of Sasuke and Aiko.

"There's no doubting Itachi-niichan's strength, but the person in question should quit as a shinobi." Aiko said bluntly.

"Aiko!" Mikoto said in surprise.

"What? It's true." Aiko said unabashedly. "If he doesn't even have the courage to _try_ to face somebody who is stronger than him, then what is he doing going on missions in the first place? Missions are unpredictable. Circumstances can change and shinobi can find themselves facing a situation that is far more dangerous than expected. Someone who doesn't have the courage to face the unknown has no business being a genin, let alone taking the Chuunin Exam."

Shisui chuckled, "You have a very adult way of looking at the world sometimes, Aiko-chan."

"Because I'm speaking from experience..." She said quietly, and the adults all realized that she was referring to her parents' death. What was supposed to have been a mock mission, only a game, had suddenly taken a dangerous turn because of one unforeseen enemy. "We live in a shinobi village..." Aiko said softly, "Even though there isn't any kind of war going on right now, we can't afford to let our guards down, ever. The incident with the Hidden Stone last month is proof of that."

The faces of the adults grew more concerned at that statement, but suddenly Sasuke became distracted. "Niisan!" He exclaimed as he saw Itachi descending the stairs toward them.

"Itachi-niichan!" Aiko echoed, "What are you doing up here?"

"I was informed of the default ahead of time." Itachi told her, "It'll be a while before my real first match. Sasuke, Aiko, there are a bunch of food stalls set up around the stadium. Do you want to go look at them with me?"

"Yes!" Aiko exclaimed, climbing down from Mikoto's lap and scrambling past Shisui with Sasuke following. "I don't want to watch the tournament until your match comes up. If I do, things will become too predictable and boring."

Itachi chuckled at this statement and as his younger siblings each grabbed ahold of one of his hands, he led them up the stairs.

"It's like her personality changed in a heartbeat." Kushina sweat-dropped.

"Even though their not blood-siblings, Aiko is very similar to how Itachi was at her age." Mikoto stated with a shake of her head, "I swear that the three of them only actually remember how to be children when they're together."

兄弟

"Itachi-niichan, look!" Aiko exclaimed happily, "Adzuki ice cream!"

"Do you want some?" Itachi asked her.

"Yeah!" She replied with a happy nod.

"Yuck. How can you eat that stuff?" Sasuke said with a face.

"You're the weird one for not liking sweets." Aiko replied.

"What would you like, Sasuke?" Itachi asked his younger brother.

"Um..." Sasuke looked around and noticed another stall, "Ah! Chilled tomatoes!"

"All right." Itachi said, taking both children to get their desired treats and purchasing a skewer of tri-colored dango for himself.

Aiko smiled happily as she stuffed a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. "Mm...!"

"Still... I can't believe all the stuff they have going on..." Sasuke said in amazement, "It's like a festival."

"Is this your first time seeing the Chuunin Exams, Sasuke-niichan?" His sister asked.

"Yeah." Sasuke said with a nod, "I've never had a reason to come before. What about you, Aiko?" He asked while picking up a tomato slice.

"Mama was an aide to the Hokage, so I've seen every Chuunin Exam since I've been born from up where the officials watch it." Aiko replied, "Not that I remember most of them. This is my first time watching it from the regular stands, though the view is honestly better where we're sitting. The Hokage's seat is so far away."

"Is that why you said that it would be boring for you if you watched the first round?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah." Aiko said with a nod, "Once I get a chance to see a combatant's fighting style and their tactics, it becomes pretty easy to predict who will win a fight."

"I'm amazed nobody's ever tried to ask you for advice in betting on the matches." Itachi remarked, and Aiko made a face.

"People do that? Doesn't that go against the Shinobi Prohibitions?"

Itachi laughed at her reaction, "Yeah, it does."

"What are the Shinobi Prohibitions?" Sasuke asked as he shoved another tomato slice in his mouth.

"They're three things that Shinobi are supposed to avoid being excessive about as a measure of self-control." Aiko explained, "They are money, alcohol, and women." She made a slightly confused face, "Although shouldn't it be men for kunoichi? I don't really get that..."

"Huh, really?" Sasuke asked while still chewing.

"Sasuke, don't talk with your mouth full." Itachi reminded him.

"There are two other basic principles that Mama and Papa always told me are really important." Aiko added, "'Always watch your back' and 'Always be two steps ahead of your enemies.'"

Itachi sweat-dropped, thinking that that explained a lot about how Aiko conducted herself.

兄弟

When they had finished their snack, the three siblings returned to exploring the stalls when Aiko saw something that caught her interest. "Look! This booth is about throwing kunai!"

"Would you like to try, Ojouchan?" The vendor asked, seeing her obvious interest.

"I wouldn't bother, kid." A nearby shinobi remarked. "We haven't been able to hit a thing. A little girl like you doesn't stand a chance."

Aiko puffed her cheeks out angrily, which Itachi saw as a sign that she was taking their words as a challenge. "Do you want to try it, Aiko?" He asked her, and she nodded firmly.

"Me too!" Sasuke exclaimed, hurrying to join his sister. "I bet I can hit more than you can, Aiko!"

"That's not fair!" Aiko exclaimed, "You're a year older than me! You've been doing it longer!"

The shinobi snorted in amusement, "I'll be amazed if either one of them can even hit one."

"What the heck is this?" Sasuke asked in confusion as they were handed the kunai for the game.

"It's a rubber kunai." Aiko told him, "Some of the people who come to watch the final exam are ordinary people. They can't give them real kunai. They might hurt themselves. That said, be aware that these aren't as heavy as real kunai and not quite as accurate."

Sasuke nodded to her and the two siblings began their competition. Before long, a crowd had gathered as Aiko and Sasuke struck target after target with the rubber kunai, inferior projectiles though they were.

"What amazing skill..." Someone muttered.

"Are they even in the Academy yet?" Somebody else asked.

"Just what you'd expect from the Uchiha Clan..." A third person remarked as they took notice of the Uchiha Crest on the children's backs.

Aiko took notice of all the onlookers and looked at Sasuke as he threw his last kunai. "Sasuke-niichan, I think we should stop."

"Huh?" Sasuke asked, "But we haven't determined a winner yet." Thus far, the two siblings had been evenly matched with Sasuke having the sharper throwing skills, but Aiko being better at adapting to the lack of accuracy created by the toy weapons' design.

"I know that, but people are starting to stare..." Aiko told him, and upon looking at her face, Sasuke realized that Aiko disliked being at the center of attention in this way.

"Oh all right." He relented, "But we're settling this when we get home!"

"If it's real kunai, you're going to cream me." Aiko said as she jumped off the step with Sasuke and rejoined Itachi. "I'm still younger than you, remember?"

"While I agree that Sasuke is still ahead of you, Aiko, it's clear that your abilities have grown a lot in the past month." Itachi said, "When you started learning while I was taking the second exam, you'd never even thrown a kunai before. Now you can even accurately throw fake kunai."

"Itachi-Niichan..." Aiko said, looking uncomfortable at all the people surrounding them. Itachi sweat-dropped, wondering why Aiko disliked being praised in public so much.

Suddenly some shouts were heard nearby. Two men were in a very heated argument about how the tournament would play out and were starting to come to blows. From the sake bottles lying nearby, it was obvious that they were drunk. At that moment, two members of the Konoha Police Force stepped in, but when they were struck by the drunken men, they made a move to suppress them by force and apprehend them.

"Stop!" Aiko yelled as she ran over to the scene. For only a few seconds, her Sharingan activated and the drunks were almost instantly unconscious.

"Did you just knock them out with genjutsu?!" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"They're _drunk_." Aiko pointed out, having already deactivated her Sharingan, "Their minds are incredibly weak right now. Even my level of genjutsu is enough. They'll be fine once they sleep off the sake." Sasuke hadn't seen the brief activation of her Sharingan, and Aiko wasn't about to mention that part to him. However, when she swayed from a wave of dizziness, Itachi quickly caught her and supported her, causing her to laugh nervously. "That being said, I may have put a _little_ too much chakra into it." Ignoring Itachi's unamused expression, she turned and glared at the two policemen. "You two! What do you think you're doing?! The Police Force is supposed to _protect_ the peace in Konoha! Breaking up a drunken fight is one thing, but if you end up joining them, you're no better than they are! And you can't just take people in because they made you mad! Are you _trying_ to make our clan look bad?! Because if so, you're doing a pretty good job!"

"You wouldn't understand! You're just a child, Aiko-chan!" One of the men insisted. "You don't understand the—"

"We are the proud Uchiha Clan!" Aiko interrupted, "We are among the oldest of Shinobi clans in existence! Descendants of the Sage of Six Paths! Most importantly, we _are_ shinobi! To allow personal feelings and emotions like anger to come into play while on duty is to bring shame upon the clan, the police force, Konoha, _and_ yourselves! If you can't learn to separate your emotions from your duties, then forget the police force, you should quit being shinobi! Now take these two to the hospital so that they can sleep off the sake and then go back to the precinct and _don't _think that Otousan isn't going to hear about this!"

The two nodded, mostly because they were feeling the heat from the attention that Aiko had put on them and hurried to take the two unconscious drinkers to the hospital. As they were leaving, Aiko and her brothers heard one of them say, "That kid. Obviously she doesn't know that she wouldn't even exist if her _father _hadn't let his emotions come into play during a mission."

"Yeah, well, she never did run her mouth like that when Nichi was around. The Chief and Lady Mikoto probably just aren't raising her properly because she's not really theirs." The other replied.

Sasuke began to turn around to yell at them for saying such things, but Aiko placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Just leave it alone, Sasuke-niichan..."

"But Aiko, they're saying mean things about you!" Sasuke insisted.

"I'm aware of that, but... there's no reason to cause further disruption by confronting them about it." She looked up at Sasuke, her large black eyes swirling with emotions that he couldn't quite comprehend, "We need to show the grownups in the village that we're going to grow up to be better than those guys, not just as shinobi, but as people too."

Sasuke seemed to reluctantly accept her answer and Itachi walked over to Aiko before kneeling with his back to her, "Aiko, you're probably tired from casting that genjutsu. Let me carry you back to the stadium."

"Okay." Aiko said while climbing onto Itachi's back.

"Why did you use a genjutsu anyway, Aiko?" Sasuke asked curiously.

"It was the easiest way to suppress them without hurting them." She answered with a yawn. "I didn't really do much. I just made them go to sleep." Sasuke nodded and as he and Itachi began walking back to the stadium, Aiko leaned forward to whisper in Itachi's ear, "Itachi-niichan... am I too outspoken?"

Itachi frowned. Obviously Aiko was more troubled by what their clansmen had said than Sasuke was able to realize. "I don't think so..." He said softly, "Maybe you do speak a little too freely to your elders, but... you're always careful to use respectful language when you do so."

"I think that you are quite impressive, Uchiha Aiko." A man said, and the three of them looked up to see the head of the Hyūga Clan, Hyūga Hiashi, approaching with his daughter Hinata and his nephew, Neji. "You're able to think very maturely for your age, are a surprisingly eloquent speaker, and are clearly a prodigy at genjutsu. Perhaps even more so than your cousin." At this, he acknowledged Itachi.

"Aiko is more than my cousin, she's my sister." Itachi informed him with blunt politeness.

"I don't think I could ever surpass Itachi-niichan..." Aiko said with uncertainty.

Hiashi only smiled, amused by the children's responses, "Well, regardless, I would like to speak to your father, Itachi-kun. Would you be so kind as to take us to him?"

"Of course." Itachi said with a nod, heading back toward the stadium with his siblings and with Hiashi, Neji, and Hinata following. When they arrived at the stands, Itachi set Aiko down on the walkway at the top and descended the stairs to retrieve his father. Aiko climbed up on the rail at the back of the seating area and activated her Sharingan, surveying the chakra signatures of her clansmen and frowning as she did. She deactivated the Sharingan after about five seconds, but swayed as she did, only to be caught by Hiashi, who gently lifted her off the rail and set her back on the ground. "You shouldn't over extend your chakra." He warned her, "Even Hinata and Neji haven't yet awakened their Byakugan. That you can already use the Sharingan at your age is..."

"With all due respect," Aiko began with a yawn, "The awakening of the Sharingan isn't related to training and talent like the Byakugan is. It's not really an accomplishment to celebrate." She yawned again and plopped on the ground, her exhaustion catching up to her. At that moment, Fugaku arrived at the top of the stairs with Itachi.

"You wanted to speak with me, Hiashi-dono?" The head of the Uchiha asked.

Hiashi nodded, "I just wanted to commend your daughter. She is a brilliant child for her age. She understands things in a surprisingly adult way, is not afraid to reprimand clansmen who are out of line, even if they are adults, and can already cast genjutsu despite her young age."

"I'm afraid that I can't take credit for most of that." Fugaku said with a soft smile, "Although I did tell Aiko that she shouldn't be afraid to speak her mind when something is bothering her, her intelligence and talent for genjutsu are things that she definitely received from my cousin and his wife. Nichi and Megumi were both genjutsu types, so her prowess for genjutsu is natural. Itachi told me the gist of what happened. The clan members in question will be dealt with." He turned and looked at Aiko, who had fallen asleep where she was sitting and smiled softly, "Good grief, Hoshi. You're always finding trouble." He knelt down and picked the sleeping child up.

"If guided properly, she will become a fine shinobi." Hiashi said softly.

Fugaku nodded, "I hope to be able to guide _all_ of my children properly." As he turned to carry Aiko back down the stairs and Hiashi left with Hinata and Neji, Sasuke pouted, feeling like he was already being surpassed by his younger sister. Itachi saw this and placed a hand on Sasuke's head.

"Don't worry about it, Sasuke. You have plenty of talent in your own right. It's just that you and Aiko have different strengths, and the situation today happened to be better suited to Aiko's strengths. When Otousan said that he hopes to guide all of us properly, he was referring to you as well."

Sasuke looked surprised at Itachi's words, but then smiled and nodded, "Yeah!"

兄弟

Sometime later, Aiko awoke just as Itachi's match was about to begin. His opponent was a genin named Nemui of the Hidden Cloud.

When the match began, Nemui was quickly on the offense, while Itachi was easily evading his attacks. That wasn't the surprising part though.

"Is he... actually asleep?!" Shisui asked incredulously in reference to Nemui.

"Yes. He is. I can tell by his chakra." Aiko said from her place on Fugaku's lap. Shisui looked over at her and sweat-dropped.

"Aiko-chan, why are you using your Sharingan?" He asked, slightly shocked.

"I just wanted to analyze the chakra of Itachi-niichan's opponent." Aiko replied as her Sharingan receded. "The time limit that I can sustain my Sharingan is about thirty seconds if I don't move or do anything else that consumes chakra. That's more than enough time to perform a simple analysis."

Now the other adults were sweat-dropping as well.

"Why are you even bothering to use it at all at your age?" Izumi asked in surprise.

"Mostly for the purpose of developing my chakra reserves." Aiko replied, "The reserves of any given person can be increased in one of two ways. The first is by simple growth. As you grow physically, your chakra reserves grow too. The second is through practical use. That part is the same as training to be able to run really far or lift something heavy. The more you push your limits, the more your reserves grow over time, as long as you don't overdo it. I mostly do this training at bedtime, when it doesn't matter if I pass out immediately afterward. As a bonus, I never have trouble falling asleep and I'm usually so tired that I can't even have nightmares."

Although Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were confused by this last bit, the others immediately understood Aiko's reasoning.

"Why on earth would that guy go to sleep?" Sasuke asked, deciding to turn the topic back to Itachi's match.

"I'm guessing he's a big chicken." Aiko said.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"Sleeping in a fight and relying on basic instinct to fight an opponent isn't too smart." Aiko told him, "You can't be two steps ahead of your opponent if you're asleep. The only reason to rely on such a stupid strategy would be a fear of actually seeing your opponent's attacks. He does it because he's scared of dying, which is... um... funny, I guess? Because he's more likely to end up dead doing that."

"The correct word would be 'ironic'." Shisui informed her, having learned from Itachi that Aiko liked to be told what the words she didn't know were.

"If that's the case, then why is Itachi-niichan just running around?" Naruto asked. He wasn't copying the way that Aiko addressed her brother. He called any boy who was older than him "niichan", and if he was familiar with them, he would include their given name. He'd already taken to addressing Shisui the same way.

"He's not." Aiko said, "He's just waiting for the best time to strike. Given that Nemui is a scaredy-cat, he's probably planning to crush him into the ground with genjutsu."

Once more, the adults, Shisui, and Izumi all sweat-dropped, not so much because of Itachi's supposed strategy, but because of the way Aiko had said it and the fact that she had determined all of this despite her young age.

The even scarier part was, she was exactly right. The battle ended with Nemui in hysterics and Itachi never having launched a single physical attack. Aiko watched as Itachi exited the arena, her eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of a man standing just above the exit Itachi would go through before she looked over at Shisui. "Shisui-niichan, can you help me with something?" She asked while sliding off of Fugaku's lap.

"What is it?" Shisui asked, but Aiko only gestured for him to follow her as she began to climb the stairs. When they reached the top, Aiko sat down and pulled a small scroll and a pen out of her little purse. Shisui resisted the urge to ask her why she always had a scroll with her and watched as she carefully wrote something on the scroll entirely in hiragana. She rolled the scroll up when she was done and held it up to Shisui.

"Can you have one of your crows take this up to Lord Hokage for me?" She asked. Her voice was so innocent that it was a stark contrast to the fact that she was sending a message to the Hokage in the first place. Nonetheless, Shisui nodded to her.

"Sure." He said, summoning a crow and entrusting Aiko's scroll to it.

"Also, if you have time tomorrow, I need to talk to you in private." Aiko told him, "It would be better for us to talk at your house than at mine."

"Okay..." Shisui said in confusion. He looked up as his crow came back with a reply. "Well that was fast." He handed the reply to Aiko, who read it carefully before nodding to herself in satisfaction.

* * *

So, I have NO idea how this happened, but, SOMEHOW I managed to skip over this chapter when posting. So I am rectifying that mistake.


	11. Aiko's Concerns

"So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about, Aiko-chan?" Shisui asked the next day as he sat down in his home with Aiko.

"Um, your Mangekyō Sharingan... What kind of jutsu does it enable you to use?" Aiko asked. Shisui was so surprised by her question that he spit out the tea he had been drinking.

"Wh-What?" He managed as he wiped his mouth, "How did you... How did you even know...? There's no way that Itachi told you."

"No. I figured it out." Aiko said plainly, "When Itachi-niichan complained about his eyes hurting on the way back from Sora-Ku, you said that you would take a look at them and that you knew more about the Sharingan than he and Izumi-neechan did. Thus, I suspected that you had awakened it yourself."

Shisui sweat-dropped, "You really are Megumi-san's daughter." He sighed as he placed a hand to his forehead, "It's called Kotoamatsukami." He told her, "It's a genjutsu that compels the target to do whatever the caster wants, without any awareness that they are being manipulated. Basically, they think that the idea is their own. I don't even have to meet the target's eyes directly. But why?"

"There's something I'm worried about." Aiko explained, "I think the clan may still be facing danger, but... there's something I need to confirm first." She frowned, looking thoughtful, "When the next clan meeting is held, I'll wait outside the shrine. I can confirm the thing I'm worried about if I wait for you to meet me there after the meeting ends. Just make sure you're one of the last ones to leave the building."

Shisui blinked, but nodded. "All right."

兄弟

Later that night, Aiko was surprised when Fugaku told her that he wanted her to come with him and Itachi to the meeting.

"But I thought the meetings were for grownups only?" She asked in confusion.

"They are, but there's something I need to discuss that involves you." Fugaku replied, "It's better if you're there."

Aiko blinked, but went with him anyway. There had been a bit of a fuss over her sitting in on the meeting, but in the end, she wound up sitting next to her father with Itachi on the other side.

"My son has become a Chuunin." Fugaku announced. There were some murmurs in response to this about Itachi joining the police force, But Fugaku quickly silenced his clansmen. "I have no intention of allowing Itachi to join the police force. I believe he is better suited to the ANBU." There were some murmurs about this, mostly because there hadn't been an Uchiha in the ANBU since Hiruzen had become the Third Hokage. Aiko hesitated before reaching up and tugging on Fugaku's vest, causing him to look down at her. "What is it, Aiko?"

"Um... well... I'm not sure if I should say..." Aiko said uncertainly, "Because... I normally wouldn't be here and..."

"It's okay, Aiko. Just tell me what's bothering you." Fugaku told her.

"Well... it's just... I was looking through her documents, and..." Aiko fiddled with her skirt as she summoned her courage, "Mama... Mama didn't think that Itachi-niichan's personality was well-suited for the ANBU... She thought that it would be bad for him emotionally... She was also worried... that Shimura Danzō was in... intending? To mani... ma-ni-pu-late and take advantage of him, somehow. He was the one who first brought it up to you, right?"

"Megumi was originally from the Shimura herself. Who's to say that she didn't just want to keep the Clan from getting closer to the village again?" Somebody asked.

Aiko turned and glared at the speaker, her eyes glowing crimson as she did. "Mama didn't care about the Shimura. She was an aide to the Hokage and worked very hard, right up until her death, to protect the Uchiha. _I _certainly have no loyalty to that clan. They would sooner kill me than acknowledge my relation to themselves." She allowed her Sharingan to recede as Fugaku placed a hand on her head to reassure her.

"Aiko is right. Megumi was the one who identified the culprit behind the Kyuubi incident and lifted the suspicions against us. She died fighting alongside Nichi to protect not just Aiko, but Sasuke as well." He sighed as he removed his hand from Aiko's head and redirected the discussion. "In fact, the Shimura are part of the reason that I brought Aiko here tonight. Last month, a team of genin and their jonin instructor from the Hidden Stone attempted to abduct Aiko while she and Sasuke were playing with their friends. They were targeting Aiko precisely _because _she is Nichi and Megumi's daughter, which means there was an intelligence leak, and the most likely source would be somebody amongst the Shimura."

"What has been done about this?" Somebody asked.

"The Shinobi in question were captured and the Hidden Stone denies any knowledge of the plot." Fugaku answered, "Thus far, there haven't been any leads regarding the leak."

"So we're just going to let it slide that a member of our clan was nearly abducted?!" Somebody exclaimed.

"The Hyūga suffered far worse when Kumogakure attempted to kidnap their heiress." Fugaku pointed out, "At least we are able to deal with the ninja who tried to take Aiko. We can't act regarding the possible leak without a solid lead, and we're not going to start another war over this. We lost enough members of our clan in the last one." Nobody had anything to say to this, so Fugaku switched gears, "By the way, regarding the matter of... unwarranted behavior from members of the police force in carrying out their duties. Any member of the clan who is seen letting his emotions come into play while on duty will be dealt with in the appropriate manner."

"That reminds me, Otousan." Aiko said, "I was planning to talk to Lord Third about this too, but... I think it would be a good idea if the Police Force began accepting qualified members from other clans."

"Why is that, Aiko?" Fugaku asked.

"The ones in charge of maintaining peace are always the most prone to being blamed by the public for their problems." Aiko said simply, "Right now, the clan basically takes that anger by itself. But if people from other clans were to join the police force, that attention would shift away from the clan. It would also be a means to connect the Uchiha with the rest of the village. Besides, there are certain times when the set up we have now doesn't make sense. Like right now. If all of the active shinobi in our clan are here for this meeting, who exactly is patrolling the streets?"

Fugaku sweat-dropped at his daughter's rather obvious logic.

"What do you mean 'you're going to speak to the Hokage' about this?" Yashiro asked. "You're a child. You can't just walk into his office and speak your mind. Even regular shinobi don't have that kind of freedom."

"Actually, Lord Third told her to come and talk to him about anything that was bothering her." Itachi told him.

"Besides, even if she didn't have permission, there are other ways that she could pass things on to him." Fugaku pointed out. "Aiko is close with the Fourth Hokage's son, Naruto, and his mother Kushina can approach the Hokage more easily than most. If Aiko told Kushina what was on her mind, Kushina would probably go to see the Hokage if she believed that Aiko's concerns had merit."

When she noticed a few of the members glaring at her in contempt at this, Aiko boldly glared back at them. "It's a lot easier to be connected with the village when you actually reach out to people who aren't from your clan." She said flatly.

"All right, that's enough." Fugaku told his daughter while placing a hand on her head again to try and calm her temper, "We have other matters to discuss."

兄弟

By the time the meeting ended, Aiko had fallen fast asleep on Fugaku's lap. Shisui sweat-dropped when he saw this. "She said she wanted to talk to me after the meeting tonight, but I guess it will have to wait until tomorrow."

Fugaku nodded as he shifted the child in his arms. "It's past her bedtime, and the fact that her Sharingan was active, even briefly, doesn't help."

"It's probably good that she won't attend these meetings regularly until she's almost thirteen." Shisui remarked, "Aiko-chan is smart, and she has good ideas, but I think some of members of our clan resent her for that."

Fugaku nodded, "She is smart, but not everything that she says are things that she came up with on her own. A lot of it are things that Nichi had suggested to me privately in the past. Aiko probably heard his ideas and remembered them."

Itachi nodded, "She's observant, but she's still a bit simple-minded because of her age. I think she notices things that she heard Nichi-san speak about before and gets scared by them, which causes her to suggest the same solutions that he did. At her age, she naturally would think that her parents would've had the best answers."

Shisui nodded, "That makes sense. The problem is, she's still naïve and lacks the ability to discern which things are safe to say in front of others and which are best said in private."

"I know, it's a bit of problem." Fugaku agreed as he stroked Aiko's hair, "I don't want to tell the others to disregard her thoughts as being those of a child, but I also don't want her drawing the hatred of some of the clan members toward herself."

"I guess that's why she was always so quiet before she started living with us..." Itachi remarked thoughtfully. "She knew that some people in the clan didn't agree with her father's ideals, and that made her afraid to speak to people."

Fugaku nodded again, "She's young, but she's absorbed the ideals of both of her parents like a sponge and holds them close to her heart. It's a rare sign of maturity for her age."

兄弟

The next day, when he came by to see what she had wanted, Aiko asked Shisui to accompany her to the Hokage's office. There, she made her suggestion about opening the police force to other clans before broaching the subject that she had been concerned about.

"I think there's a spy among the Uchiha." She said bluntly. "Or rather, two spies."

At this, both Shisui and the Hokage were caught off guard.

"What on earth makes you say that?" Shisui asked her.

"I first noticed that something wasn't right during the tournament two days ago." Aiko said, "When Itachi-niichan went to let Otousan know that Lord Hiashi wanted to speak to him, I took the opportunity to view the chakra of our clansmen with my Sharingan. I wasn't doing it for any particular reason, but I immediately noticed something that wasn't right... one of the people who was wearing our crest didn't seem to possess fire chakra at all. That's unheard of in our clan and it's not somebody who married in. This person, or whoever they are posing as, is unmarried. Last night, I scanned the chakra of our clansmembers again and found that the chakra of the person I had seen before wasn't there. But there was another person with the same face, but different chakra." She pulled out a few papers and handed them to the Hokage, "The person in question is supposedly Uchiha Kagen. After learning his name from Otousan, I checked the clans' records. Uchiha Kagen is single, so he didn't marry into the clan, and he doesn't have any siblings. How is it then that there are two people with the same face, but neither possesses our clan's fire chakra?"

"What made you think the answer is a spy though?" Shisui asked, and Aiko looked over her shoulder at him.

"Uchiha Kagen works in logistics within the Police Force. I asked Otousan, and he said that it's a job in which one isn't likely to experience something that could awaken the Sharingan. No immeed... im-me-di-ate family... No Sharingan... no close friends. The real Kagen would've been easy to replace with a pair of fakes." Aiko explained.

"But who would do something like that and why?" Hiruzen asked.

"My guess is it was Shimura Danzō's doing." Aiko replied, "He probably planted the spy among us as a means to watch our every move. I thought perhaps it was simply hard to take the spy out once our clan was cleared of suspicion, but... last night... he said some things to try and provoke the clan... like a poker stoking a fire. He also tried to make the clan hate me by talking about the Shimura. As far as I know, nobody in the Uchiha, not even Yashiro-san, holds that particular thing against me."

"You do have a point there..." Shisui admitted. "When you were born, Lord Fugaku made a really big deal that nobody should ever treat you badly because of the Shimura."

"Exactly." Aiko remarked, "It's like he's trying to... um..." Her face looked perturbed as she searched her vocabulary for the right word, "Like he's trying to... to make... to make the grown-ups... get mad at me?"

"You mean he's trying to undermine you." Shisui told her.

"Oh, thanks." Aiko said with a nod, "He argued with me most when I talked about Mama's concerns about Itachi-niichan and the ANBU. If I'm right, and Danzo _does_ want Itachi-niichan to enter the ANBU, then his spy would want to make me look bad, right?"

"Yeah, I get what you're saying." Shisui remarked, "But even if you're right, it's not like Danzo's just going to come out and admit it."

"And that's where _you_ come in, Shisui-niichan."

* * *

Sometimes Aiko's dialogue is so hard to write! She's supposed to be just under five at this point, but I honestly don't know how to have her get her points across without using more sophisticated language than a child her age would know. Also, Aiko's plan regarding Shisui will take place in a different chapter.


	12. Aiko's Ninja Way

Roughly a month-and-a-half later, Aiko woke up as usual, a wave of sadness washing over her as she glanced at the calendar on her nightstand and looked at the circled date on it. She silently slipped out of bed and went into the bathroom, washing her face and brushing her teeth before exiting just as Itachi was about to enter. Itachi frowned as he noticed her listless nature and the fact that she hadn't even acknowledged him. It was weird because for one thing, she, like Sasuke, usually slept until about eight o'clock. She didn't get up at daybreak the way he usually did. He might've thought that she had just gotten up to use the toilet and was still half-asleep, but the scent of her toothpaste told him otherwise.

The little girl went back into her bedroom and changed into her daily clothes, absently pondering whether to bother with her shuriken holster today before deciding to go ahead and wear it. She exited the room and headed for the kitchen, blinking in surprise when she realized that Mikoto wasn't awake yet. With a sigh of resignation, she went out to the veranda and looked up at the lightening sky.

"You're up early today." Itachi said to her as he joined her. Aiko glanced over her shoulder at him and then sighed.

"I used to be up this early all the time." She explained, "Papa worked the night shift at the precinct, and he would come home and have to make sure that breakfast was ready before Mama left for work at the Hokage's office. Then she would drop me off at Naruto-kun's house on her way so that Papa could sleep. Lately I've been sleeping in because I train with my Sharingan until I pass out and it's only when I smell breakfast that my body remembers that food is also required to replenish chakra."

"And you didn't last night?" Itachi asked.

"I couldn't focus." She admitted, "I tried, but I couldn't. And I managed to get to sleep, but..."

Itachi nodded in understanding. "Don't take this the wrong way, but... I've never felt that birthdays were all that important. Just because your age has changed by one year doesn't mean you've undergone some tremendous change overnight."

"It's not that..." Aiko said with a shake of her head, "Birthdays aren't about celebrating a menial change in age... they're about celebrating all of the growth you've experienced in the past year... think about it... there's a massive difference between a newborn and a one-year-old. Thus, a baby's first birthday is about celebrating all the ways that they've grown and changed in their first year of life. Other birthdays are the same, at least for children. They're about celebrating the culmination of all the growth and changes that one has gone through in the past year. You might not be a different person than you were yesterday, but you're certainly different than you were a year earlier."

"In that case, I would say there are things to celebrate regarding your growth." Itachi said, "A year ago, you didn't even know how to throw shuriken, but now you've become pretty good at it. And I've noticed that your vocabulary has grown quite a bit lately."

"I got Okaasan to buy me a dictionary so that I could learn more grownup words." Aiko replied, "I've been memorizing it with my Sharingan before bed. Watching everyone's chakra was getting boring." Itachi sweat-dropped and watched as Aiko hugged her knees to her chest, "But I don't feel like celebrating those things... I would rather that they still be here than..."

"I understand." Itachi said gently, "But they would be proud of all you've accomplished since then, Aiko." When Aiko looked up at him, Itachi explained, "You've learned to throw shuriken and how to get along with Sasuke. You've made a new friend. You've learned how to voice your concerns openly both to Chichiue and the Hokage. You can even analyze people's chakra in less than the time it takes for your Sharingan to completely drain your own chakra, as well as use the Sharingan to cast genjutsu. When you first came here, you were shy, and kept your distance from everyone, except for maybe Naruto-kun and Lady Kushina. You hardly ever spoke at all. It hasn't even been six months, but... you've grown a lot. Your parents... would be proud of all of that." Aiko made no reply as her gaze drifted back to the yard. Itachi understood that she was struggling with a variety of mixed feelings at the moment, not the least of which was probably a part of her that blamed herself for her parents' deaths. Perhaps a distraction was a better idea. "Hey... why don't we go out?" He suggested, and Aiko looked back up at him in confusion.

"Out?" She echoed.

"It will probably be a while before Hahaue begins making breakfast." Itachi explained, "But I know of a place that will open shortly." Aiko continued to look confused as Itachi offered his hand to her before she hesitantly grasped it with her own tiny hand. After writing a note to let Mikoto and Fugaku know where they were, the ten-year-old boy led his little sister out of the house.

兄弟

Before long, the arrived at a cafe within the compound, just as the owner was opening up shop.

"Oh, Itachi-chan! And Aiko-chan! It's rare to see you two this early." The older woman greeted.

"Good morning, Baasan." Itachi said politely, "Today is Aiko's birthday, but Hahaue isn't awake yet, so I thought I'd bring her here for breakfast."

"I see." The woman said kindly, "Well in that case, I know just the thing." She turned and walked back inside as Itachi helped Aiko into a chair at a table outside. A few minutes later, the woman returned with a tray. "Here we are." She said, "Two bowls of red bean soup and dumplings and two cups of matcha." Aiko's face lit up happily at the sight. "From time to time, your mother would come by here on her way home from work." The woman remarked, "She always talked about how much you loved foods made with red beans and matcha tea."

Aiko looked confused, "Mama did?"

"Of course, you meant everything in the world to her and Nichi. I heard that you were even praised by the head of the Hyuuga during Itachi-chan's Chuunin Exam. Your parents would be so proud of how you've grown."

Aiko looked down at her soup. "It hasn't been _that _long..."

"Maybe so, Aiko-chan." The woman said while wiping her hands with her apron, "But to us adults, you kids grow up in the blink of an eye. I still remember the day your parents brought you to the compound after you were born." She chuckled in amusement, "And the fuss you kicked up when the chief tried to hold you."

Aiko giggled, "Otousan told me about that. We even have pictures of it."

"I'd say that you should stay just as you are, Aiko-chan," The woman began, "But the truth is that just isn't possible. To grow means to change, after all. Even so, I hope you stay true to who you are now. Maybe it's a little early to be asking this, but do you have your own Nindou, Aiko-chan?"

"Nindou?" Aiko asked in confusion.

"Sometimes, in addition to the Rules of Shinobi held by the village, shinobi come up with their own, personal rules by which they live their lives." The woman explained, "By staying true to that Nindou, their Ninja Way, they become people who never doubt themselves or question the right path to take. Some people think it's a useless thing, but... I think that to become a truly strong shinobi, having your own Nindou is important." She smiled at Aiko, "However, it's not something that somebody else can tell you to follow. Even if you choose to follow somebody else's Nindou, you must still decide for yourself what that Nindou will be."

Aiko appeared to contemplate this as she ate her soup.

兄弟

"Is there anywhere that you want to go?" Itachi asked Aiko after they had finished their meal. The little girl furrowed her brow for a moment.

"Can we go... visit the cemetery?" She asked hesitantly. Itachi blinked, wondering why she was so hesitant to ask. Perhaps she just thought it was a strange request to make on one's birthday, but nonetheless, he smiled gently at her.

"Sure."

As they walked through the streets of Konoha, the two siblings passed by the Yamanaka flower shop, only to be surprised as a little girl roughly the same age as Aiko burst out of the door of said shop with a bouquet in her arms.

"You're Uchiha Aiko, right?" The little blonde asked. Aiko's eyes widened in surprise and she nodded. The little girl held out the bouquet she was holding. "My mom said to give these to you."

Aiko carefully took the wrapped flowers. "Th-thank you..."

The other girl nodded at her and waved. "Goodbye!" She called cheerfully as she pranced back into the shop.

"That was Yamanaka Ino." Itachi explained, "She's a year older than you and is the next head of the Yamanaka Clan. Her family has owned this flower shop since Konoha was first founded."

"Oh..." Aiko said in amazement. "Itachi-niichan, Konohagakure was founded by the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and the Second Hokage, our great-grandfather, Uchiha Madara, right?"

"That's right." Itachi said. "There were many trials in between when the two of them first met as children during the Era of Warring States and when they finally founded Konoha nearly a century ago. It was thanks to Lord Hashirama's unwillingness to give up on Madara that the village came to be."

"It wasn't _just_ that." Aiko insisted. "Great-grandfather Madara's decision to acknowledge Hashirama's sincerity was also important. Their friendship with Haruno Hanako was important as well."

"Haruno Hanako?" Itachi asked, finding himself strangely unfamiliar with the name.

"She was their friend from childhood." Aiko explained, "When Lord Hashirama was initially named as the First Hokage, Great-Grandfather Madara felt like he'd been scorned by the village and intended to leave. However, Haruno Hanako had also been his childhood sweetheart before he married our great-grandmother, and she convinced him to stay. During Lord Hashirama's tenure, Lady Hanako helped Madara-hiojiisama to win the people's trust and garnered support for him to become the Second Hokage. Even though she was not Uchiha herself, she, like Hiojiisama, feared that our clan would be subjugated to prejudice if Senju Tobirama became the Second Hokage, so she worked to make sure that Lord Hashirama's initial promise to Madara-hiojiisama would come to fruition."

"Where did you hear about this?" Itachi asked with a raised brow.

"From Papa." Aiko explained, "He heard about it from Lord First and Hiojiisama and Lady Hanako themselves when they were still alive. Apparently, Lady Hanako was also a gifted medical ninja who was the mentor of Lady Tsunade."

Itachi sweat-dropped, wondering how in the heck he had missed _that_ piece of Konoha's history. "I see. Do you know what became of Lady Hanako?"

"Papa said that she was killed during the First War." Aiko replied solemnly, "Apparently, when Lord Third and his comrades who'd been under Hiojiisama's command at the time returned and reported that Hiojiisama had acted as decoy so that they could escape, she went off to try and find him and rescue him, only to meet her end. She had loved Lord First as if he were her brother, but even after all that time, she still saw our great-grandfather as a lover and had waited for him all that time. Her love was not unrequited, but... they never got married. Hiojiisama was required to marry a member of the Uchiha when they were young because he was the heir to the clan. No matter how much he loved Lady Hanako, he could not bring himself to dishonor our great-grandmother, nor did Lady Hanako wish for him to do so." She looked at the ground as she walked, "It's... a difficult ending to digest. I feel bad for them, but at the same time, if Hiojiisama had married Lady Hanako, then nobody in our family would be who they are. Papa, Otousan, you, me, Sasuke-niichan, even Obito-niichan, wherever he is. At the end of the day, we are all the culmination of our various ancestors, at least to a point. I mean, even identical twins aren't literally the same person, but if there were even a single person changed in our bloodline, then everyone who came after them would change as well."

"You've thought very deeply about this..." Itachi said as they entered the cemetery.

"I didn't really have a choice." His sister replied, "It's important."

"Why is that?" Itachi asked.

Aiko stopped, casting a sidelong glance at a nearby tombstone. "Because whether or not anyone likes it, the fact of the matter is, I am half-Shimura. Whether or not that clan acknowledges that doesn't matter." She began walking again, heading toward her parents' graves, "If Papa had married another member of the Uchiha, or if Mama had married the head of the Shimura like she was supposed to, I wouldn't be me. That's all there is to it." She stopped, kneeling beside her parents' graves and carefully arranging the flowers that Ino had given her in the attached vases. "The most skilled psychologist amongst the Shimura, Shimura Megumi... the bright, curious, and warm sun of the Uchiha, Uchiha Nichi." She looked up at Itachi with conviction in her eyes, "I am their daughter, Uchiha Aiko. I've inherited my mother's talent for psychology and my father's Sharingan. That's who I am, and it's who I will always be. If my parents had been anyone else, then I wouldn't be me." She looked at her parents' graves with sadness in her eyes. "All the things I do, the things that make me unique, wouldn't be there. They would all be different. No matter how badly the Shimura treat me, even if they hate me and try to kill me, I have to accept that I come from their bloodline as much as I do that of Uchiha Madara. It's for my sake, not theirs."

Itachi watched as his sister continued arranging the flowers on her parents' graves. Aiko's firm belief in her identity showed a maturity far beyond her five years. Even he hadn't thought so carefully about who he was at her age. He knew what he was—a shinobi—and what being a shinobi meant, but... he thought back. What kinds of things had he thought about when he turned five? Training, most likely. That and... his eager anticipation of Sasuke's arrival roughly six weeks later. The role that his lineage played into his existence and identity didn't even matter to him at that age. He was an Uchiha. That was all he needed to know.

Aiko straightened up and picked up one of the incense sticks that had been included with the flowers (Ino's mother must've known that she was on her way to the cemetery) when a sharp voice asked, "What are _you_ doing here, you little brat?"

The little girl was startled from whatever thoughts had been going through her head and she looked over at the source of the voice, Itachi following her gaze. "Obaasama... Ojiisama..." Aiko had never formally met her maternal grandparents, but that didn't prevent her from recognizing them.

"Don't call us that!" The woman cried angrily, "You have no relation to us, you little parasite! Get away from my daughter's grave! You're defiling it!" The Shimura woman stepped towards Aiko, but was stopped by Itachi blocking her path, and she narrowed her eyes at the ten-year-old. "Move."

"Even if _you_ do not acknowledge Aiko as your kin, _I _do. I will not allow you to touch her." Itachi said protectively, his eyes uncharacteristically defiant, "It's ironic, don't you think?" He continued evenly as Aiko stood up and hid behind him, "By blood, she is your granddaughter, yet you deny having any relation to her. She is not my sister by blood, and yet, I accept her as that. She's only just turned five, but despite the way you treat her, Aiko accepts her lineage without reluctance. Her thoughts are far more sophisticated than yours." Aiko was surprised. It was very rare that Itachi would dare to ignore the natural social hierarchy in public like this. Regardless of rank or clan status, her grandparents were a great deal older than him. To show a certain degree of respect to one's elders was only natural.

Her grandfather was apparently shocked by this too, as his anger became evident on his face as he reached for the preteen boy. "Why you little—!"

"Shimura-jisan, Shimura-basan, that's enough!" Came the voice of Kushina. The redheaded woman was standing there with Naruto, glaring sternly at the two adults.

"Lady Kushina!" Mr. Shimura exclaimed in surprise. His wife, however, was too irate to bother with any formalities regarding the Fourth Hokage's widow.

"This isn't any of your business, Kushina! This brat is the entire reason that our Megumi died! And now she has the nerve to defile her grave, which is in the wrong place and bears the wrong name!" The woman screamed.

"The last time I checked, Megumi's surname _was_ Uchiha and she was married to Nichi, who is buried beside her-ttebane!" Kushina exclaimed angrily, "Aiko-chan isn't the reason that either of them died, Oyashiro En is-ttebane!"

_'Isn't it terrible?' _A voice asked inside of Aiko's head, _'They're your relatives, but they hate you for existing!' _The little girl whimpered in response and covered her ears.

"The Uchiha Clan _stole _Megumi away from us!" Mrs, Shimura shrieked, "If she had remained with our clan, she'd still be alive!"

_'They blame you for her death. She was your beloved mother, but they blame your birth for her demise!'_

"Megumi gave her life to protect her _child-ttebane!" _Kushina replied, "There is no form of death more honorable for a shinobi-ttebane! Would you dare to dishonor her courage and sacrifice?!"

"Aiko-chan, what's wrong?" Naruto asked abruptly.

Itachi's eyes widened and he turned toward his sister to find her crouching on the ground, trembling and covering her ears.

"Go away!" Aiko whimpered desperately as tears rolled down her cheeks, "Leave me alone!"

"What is she...?" Mr. Shimura began.

"That child is just plain—"

"Shh!" Kushina cut Mrs. Shimura off while holding up her hand for silence. Her eyes seemed to be focused on the woods beyond the cemetery. Itachi stood up from where he was kneeling beside Aiko and ran in the direction that Kushina was staring, taking out a kunai as he did. Meanwhile, Kushina darted forward and embraced the trembling girl, holding her close to comfort her.

Itachi was not a sensory type like Kushina, but he could expand the range of his senses to a point when he wanted to, and thus, he initially chased after whatever strange presence he had sensed was the cause of Aiko's anxiety, only for it to suddenly vanish. He furrowed his brow in concern, but nonetheless went back to the others. Kushina was hugging Aiko tightly and stroking her hair in an attempt to soothe her.

"Shh... It's all right, Aiko-chan. You're safe now. It's okay." The Uzumaki woman assured the little girl before looking up at Itachi.

"Whatever it is that was troubling her is gone." Itachi told Kushina.

The redhead nodded, "Yeah, I can't sense it anymore either."

When Aiko indicated that she preferred Itachi over Kushina, the Uchiha boy picked his younger sister up and held her close while looking at Naruto, "Thank you for noticing her distress, Naruto-kun." He said to the younger boy, "If you hadn't said something, she would've continued being attacked without our noticing."

"Attacked?" Mrs. Shimura asked in utter confusion.

"I think that someone or _something _was mentally assaulting Aiko from within the forest." Itachi explained.

"Whatever it was, it took advantage of the distraction created by our argument to target her." Kushina added, "I'm a sensory type, but even I didn't notice until Naruto said something."

"Itachi-niichan..." Aiko sniffled as she looked up at her brother, but Itachi shook his head.

"We can talk about it later, Aiko." The younger child seemed to understand that her brother meant that they shouldn't discuss the matter in front of her grandparents and she nodded.

Kushina sighed and placed her hands on her hips as she turned to the Shimuras. "The two of you go home, for now. I'm going to speak to Lord Third about this."

The couple glared indignantly at Kushina, but nonetheless took their leave.

Aiko sniffled as Itachi set her down and Kushina frowned sadly as she knelt beside the child. "Oh Aiko-chan. I'm sorry that you had to endure all of that."

Aiko shook her head and handed an incense stick to Itachi so he could light it for her. "It's okay, Auntie Kushina. Deep down, Obaasama and Ojiisama are just upset about Mama's death, and people tend to blame a guiltless target that's within their reach rather than a responsible party that they can't reach." She accepted the lit incense stick back from Itachi and used it to light her other ones. "Still, I'm glad that you and Itachi-niichan were both here. I'm kind of scared of what would've happened if it had only been him and myself. The Uchiha Clan has enough problems without a ten-year-old Chuunin getting into a fight with elder members of the Shimura, regardless of who was in the right."

"Problems?" Naruto asked cluelessly, "Like what?"

Aiko sighed softly before placing the incense sticks upon her parents' tombstones, "Hey, Auntie Kushina? Why do people put up walls between the clans? I mean, in the Uchiha's case, there is a _literal_ wall separating us from the rest of the village."

Kushina sweat-dropped at this and sighed, "I don't know Aiko-chan... I guess, for the older people who were born during the Era of Warring States, it's natural to find one's identity within their clan. Perhaps that sentiment has simply been passed on to newer generations. It's not really something that I can understand myself since my birth village was destroyed and my clan was scattered. But I hope that one day, people can think of Konoha first and their clan second. Not that one's lineage isn't important, but it's better to think about how you can help the village than to think too much about how you can make your clan more prestigious."

Aiko shook her head slowly, "I agree with you about the prestige thing, but I don't think it's necessarily correct to put one's clan second. Your clan is your family after all. People naturally put their own family above their town. However, if you allow protecting the clan to become more important than protecting the village, that will backfire on you. If your desire to protect your clan places your village in danger, then ultimately, your clan will probably be placed in even greater danger."

Kushina smiled wryly, her face nostalgic, "Minato said something similar to me on the night that Naruto was born: 'Failing to protect one's home is the same as failing to protect one's child.'" She smiled at Aiko, "You're very right. One has to protect both their family and their village. Failing to do either one isn't an option." She stroked the young girl's hair, "Able to see the little details as well as the bigger picture... you truly are your parents' daughter."

Aiko smiled just a little at this and looked at her parents' graves. "Hey, Auntie Kushina? Do you think there's any purpose in talking to a loved one when you visit their grave? Logically, even though their body is here, they aren't, and so they can't really hear you."

Kushina smiled gently and placed a hand on the little girl's shoulder, "But they _can_ hear you, Aiko. It doesn't matter if you're here or at home. No matter where you are, your feelings can reach them."

"You said before that there is no greater honor for a shinobi than to die protecting one's child, but... Mama and Papa aren't heroes like Lord Fourth." Aiko said quietly.

"What are you talking about? Of course they are!" Kushina said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Aiko asked as her.

Kushina smiled gently at the little one and held out her hand, "Come on..." Aiko took the woman's hand and Kushina led her over to the memorial stone, "Right here, see? Your parents' names are engraved on this stone, just like Minato's. It doesn't matter whether the shinobi's achievements were big or small. Anyone who gives their life to protect the village is as great as a Hokage. Protecting one's child is the same as protecting the village. You're still a budding new leaf, Aiko. Someday, you can become a strong branch that supports the leaves that bud after you. New leaves are a tree's future, and even if your parents are gone, they will always be by your side, supporting you and guiding you as you grow and become strong. As long as you hold them close inside your heart, that will never change."

Aiko stared up at Kushina, and then blinked and nodded, reaching up with her hand and lightly running her fingers over her parents' named on the stone. "...I need to explain what happened earlier, but I think Otousan and Okaasan should hear it too."

病

"Eh? The monster that haunts the Uchiha?" Mikoto said in confusion.

"Yes." Aiko said with a nod, sitting in front of Fugaku and Mikoto with Itachi and Kushina while Sasuke tried to teach Naruto how to throw shuriken outside. "I'm fairly certain that was the presence that was troubling me at the cemetery."

"You've mentioned something about this monster before, when we were discussing your mother's final missive to the Hokage." Fugaku said.

"That's right." His daughter said with a nod, "Most Uchiha who become consumed by the Curse of Hatred do so on their own, but some people resist it, either due to a different temperament or their own willpower. The Curse started as a result of this monster manipulating our ancestor Indra and leading him astray. I don't think it directly targets individual Uchiha very often." She looked down at her lap, "The fact that it has set it sights on me and tried to persuade me to hate my relatives in the Shimura Clan probably means that it views my Will of Fire as a threat for some reason."

"Nichi and Megumi's Will of Fire was stronger than anyone else's in the clan." Fugaku said thoughtfully, "It was strong enough that Megumi was able to change our circumstances with her final act, and ever since she passed on, you have been carrying out her will by delivering documents to the Hokage as necessary. If this... monster... as you put it... wishes for the entire clan to be consumed by the Curse, then it would have reason to view you as a threat."

Aiko gripped the skirt of her dress, "Then that's all the more reason that I have to hold onto my Will of Fire, no matter what that voice tells me." She said firmly. When her family looked confused, she relaxed her grip and began to explain, "To be honest, this... thing... has been troubling me for a long time... mostly at night. That was why I took to using my Sharingan to train until I passed out at bedtime."

"Why didn't you say anything, sweetie?" Mikoto asked with concern, and Aiko looked up at her.

"I was afraid you would all think that I was losing my mind if I said that I was hearing a voice in my head at night." The little girl admitted.

Mikoto's face saddened and she pulled her youngest child into her arms to reassure her.

"Aiko, if it ever troubles you again, let one of us know." Fugaku told her, "No matter what, we will protect you."

Aiko gripped the fabric of Mikoto's shirt and shook her head, "No." She insisted, "I'm going to protect _you._ When Mama and Papa died, I couldn't do anything except watch. Never again. I'll do everything I can to become strong so that it never happens again. I know that I can't necessarily prevent my comrades from dying, but... from now on, I will _never_ sit by helplessly and watch my comrades die. I'll do everything I can to help them. From now on, that is my Nindou."

* * *

So yeah, I've given up on trying to simplify Aiko's language. She is now memorizing the dictionary for the heck of it. XD She's a lot like Itachi in that regard.

It kind of cracks me up because it reminds me of how in _Boruto_, Sarada is actually more similar to Itachi than she is Sasuke with regards to her likes and dislikes. Her hobby is reading and she likes black tea flavored sweets. Sasuke doesn't seem to be too big on either one of those, but Itachi is known for his sweet tooth and in _Itachi's Story_, it's stated that as a child, Itachi would read basically anything and everything that he could get his hands on. She seems to be more naturally adept at analysis and genjutsu than Sasuke as well, although she probably got that from Sakura. She's definitely more polite than Sasuke is, which really wouldn't take much. XD


	13. Aiko and Itachi

"Lately, every time you come over, you end up talking about Uchiha Itachi." The Third Hokage said to Shimura Danzou, who was standing directly in front of him in his office. He emptied his pipe, refilled it, and relit it again, failing to notice Danzou's annoyance as he exhaled a puff of smoke from his mouth. "Just as you said, it's been five months since he was promoted to Chuunin. And Itachi has carried out his missions perfectly. Even on missions using genin, he has such a grasp of their areas of specialization, and gives such impeccable orders, it's hard to believe he's only eleven. The reports he sends in, too, are very nicely in order, strictly following the format."

"So those two years as a genin were a loss to both Itachi and to the village, hm?" Danzou asked somewhat smugly.

"Better to think of it as necessary experience." Hiruzen replied calmly, "Speaking of..." He dumped his ashes again and sighed before sitting up a little bit straighter, "Lately, long hours of desk work tire me out. Maybe I'm just old."

"That's your job." Danzou deadpanned.

"Not a single word of sympathy for me?"

"I came here to discuss matters concerning the village."

Hiruzen snorted a little at this, but waved a hand for Danzou to speak his mind.

"It was already a waste to make him spend two years as a genin," Danzou began, "To have Itachi continue as an ordinary shinobi would be an even bigger waste. We should recruit him into the ANBU."

"I'm not surprised that you came to suggest that." Hiruzen replied frankly. If Danzou was confused by this, he didn't show it, but Hiruzen continued anyway. "Megumi anticipated that you would either suggest putting Itachi in the ANBU, or at least support it if somebody else suggested it first. Ever the prepared one, she wrote a letter to me prior to her death, explaining her concerns on this topic."

"And her daughter delivered it to you faithfully." Danzou surmised.

"Aiko only brought the letter to me at the time she had been told to do so." Hiruzen said firmly, "She didn't know what was written inside. She probably wouldn't have been able to read it even if she had tried."

"I doubt that's the case anymore. I hear that she's been memorizing a dictionary."

Hiruzen glanced up, "And exactly how did you come to hear that?"

"In anticipation of a backlash from the Uchiha after the Kyuubi incident, I planted spies among them." Danzou explained, "I had identical twins within the Foundation take the place of one of their clansmen. I haven't removed them because it was impossible to do so unnoticed."

"And they still report to you?" Hiruzen asked with a raised brow.

"Naturally." Danzou replied, "Keeping an eye on that clan is necessary. Keeping an eye on that girl is especially necessary."

"'That girl'" Hiruzen began with carefully controlled anger, "Is an incredibly gifted analyst. One who didn't fail to notice the chakra of someone who looks like a member of her clan, but isn't. And mind you that she gets this talent for analysis from _your_ clan. You might want to remind her grandparents of that. Kushina told me that they tried to chase the poor thing away from her own parents' graves on her birthday."

"I'm not really concerned with that." Danzou replied flatly, "Megumi ignored my agreement with her parents."

Hiruzen sighed in frustration, "Aiko expressed concern to me that your spies are purposely trying to incite the Uchiha and turn them against the village."

"They have to maintain their cover as members of the Uchiha. If they are inciting anger amongst the Uchiha, it is only because that Clan is a danger to the village to start with." Danzou replied, "Their very existence is a threat."

"So you would purposely anger them just so you can have an excuse to get rid of them?!" Hiruzen nearly shouted.

"Yes."

Hiruzen sighed in frustration. "Were you also the one who leaked information of Aiko's existence to the Hidden Stone?"

"Her 'gift for analysis' that you mentioned is a threat all by itself."

Hiruzen leveled Danzou with a heavy glare. "Protecting the village means protecting its citizens. _All_ of them, and it should go without saying that this includes the Uchiha and definitely includes Aiko. However, since you evidently can't grasp that and would sooner destroy the Uchiha if given the opportunity, then you leave me with no other choice. As of today, I am stripping you of your post. Root is to be disbanded immediately, and you yourself are under house arrest until I decide on the correct course of action. Naturally, your spies will be removed from among the Uchiha."

Danzou's eyes widened in shock, although there was very little that he could do as Hiruzen signaled the ANBU who were guarding his office to apprehend the man. The Third Hokage watched as Danzou was led out before breathing out a heavy sigh and turning to look at the silver-haired ANBU in a dog mask.

"We need to pay a visit to the Uchiha." He turned to give a sidelong glance toward the window, "Meet us at Fugaku's home."

兄弟

"Ah, Lord Third, welcome!" Mikoto said with a smile as she let Hiruzen and his ANBU escort into the house. "Shisui arrived just a few minutes ago and said that you would be coming. I take it you need to speak with my husband?"

"Yes." The Third said with a nod, "I would like for Shisui, Itachi, and Aiko to be present as well."

Mikoto nodded, "Follow me. I think Itachi is watching over Sasuke and Aiko's taijutsu practice in the backyard. Shisui's probably with them."

兄弟

"Oof!" Aiko grunted as she fell backwards.

"It's your loss, Aiko." Sasuke told her, "Again."

Aiko glared indignantly at her brother as she stood back up, "You're older than me and you're a boy! Of course you're stronger and faster than me! Not that it matters, because I'm smarter and better at genjutsu than you!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

Itachi sweat-dropped, only able to watch helplessly as his two siblings bickered back and forth. Shisui grinned awkwardly at the sight, pitying Itachi's predicament.

"Oh dear." Mikoto said as she arrived on the engawa with the Hokage, "Itachi never knows what to do when they get like this... Neither of them ever get into fights with him..." When what was supposed to have been a sparring match abruptly turned into the two children rolling around on the ground in an attempt to overcome one another, the Uchiha Matriarch just sighed. "Please excuse me." She stepped off the porch and walked over to her children, "Sasuke, Aiko, stop that this instant!"

In less than two seconds, the children had disentangled themselves from each other and were seated properly in front of their mother. "Sorry Okaasan..." They apologized in unison.

Mikoto sighed, "Now listen." She said firmly, "Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses. It's not something to gloat about..." At this, she directed her eyes at Sasuke, "...Or to tease someone about." Now she directed her eyes to Aiko. "Now both of you, stand up properly, apologize to each other, and tie the unison sign."

"Right..." They both said as they stood up and faced each other.

Mikoto stood there with her arms crossed to make sure they both obeyed her and then sighed in relief. "Now then, Aiko, you're needed inside, along with Itachi and Shisui. Sasuke, I'd like you to come and help me with the shopping."

"Right, Kaasan." Sasuke said a little more cheerfully as he dutifully followed after his mother.

Aiko went over to the veranda with Itachi and Shisui before finally taking notice of the Third Hokage's presence. "Oh! Lord Third!" Suddenly she turned bright red with embarrassment, "You saw that?"

Hiruzen chuckled, "There's no need to worry, Aiko. It's perfectly normal for siblings to squabble from time to time, especially when they're as close as you and Sasuke are in age." Aiko laughed sheepishly at this.

"Tousan is this way." Itachi told the Hokage before taking Aiko's hand and leading the group across the veranda.

When they had reached Fugaku's room, the Uchiha Patriarch greeted the Hokage, and then Aiko turned and looked up at the man.

"Given the reason that you're probably here for, we should go inside and make sure to shut the doors and windows." She said matter-of-factly.

"Why?" Shisui asked, slightly confused.

"Bugs." Was all that Aiko said before entering the room.

When the doors and windows had been properly closed at Aiko's insistence, the Third Hokage began explaining the reason for his visit.

"Your concerns were exactly correct, Aiko." He began, "Danzō confirmed that he had placed spies among the Uchiha and that they were trying to create unrest among the clan. He even confirmed that he himself was the one who leaked the information about you to the Hidden Stone."

"Wait, he _admitted _to all of this?" Fugaku asked incredulously.

Hiruzen glanced at Shisui, who nodded subtly. "When Aiko came to me about her suspicions, she suggested that Shisui use his visual prowess to extract the truth from Danzō. The agreed upon plan was that I sent word to Shisui when Danzō asked to meet with me and Shisui would use that opportunity to cast the genjutsu."

"But Lord Danzō possesses a strong enough immunity to genjutsu to see through anything not cast by the Sharingan." Fugaku remarked, "And using the Sharingan to cast a genjutsu requires the target's eyes to meet the caster's."

"...Not in this case." Shisui said slowly. "I was using Kotoamatsukami... Which doesn't require me to meet my target's eyes directly."

"...Shisui, you have the Mangekyou Sharingan?" Fugaku asked in slight disbelief.

"Yes."

Fugaku raised a brow, "And you told Aiko this, and what it enabled you to do?"

"...More like she pried it out of me." Shisui admitted, "Aiko-chan's analytical abilities are nothing short of incredible. But come to think of it, when you asked me about my Mangekyou, Aiko-chan, how did you know it was a genjutsu-type ability?"

"From what I know of the Mangekyou Sharingan, the abilities gained by each individual tend to be related to their more natural talents." Aiko answered, "The Mangekyou is a visual prowess with a wide array of abilities that vary from person to person. Those who are skilled in genjutsu to start with are more likely to end up with genjutsu-based abilities, while those who are not are more likely to receive other abilities, like Kamui or Amaterasu. Since I knew that genjutsu is one of your strong points, I thought I would ask."

Shisui sweat-dropped at this, "Seriously, where do you learn these things?"

"From Papa's research." She said bluntly.

Hiruzen cleared his throat, "At any rate, I've placed Danzō under house arrest and his spies are being removed as we speak."

"With regard to that, Lord Third, I think Danzō has a spy placed on me, specifically." Itachi remarked. "One of the members of my second genin squad, Yoji, apparently left Team 2 without even saying goodbye immediately after I did, which is a bit suspicious. On top of that, I've noticed that wherever I go, there are always insects near me, even indoors. No matter where I am, the same species of insect is always present. The lone exception is when I'm here in the house, which is built out of cedar. Insects are avoidant of cedar, so they don't follow me into the house. That was why Aiko insisted on closing the doors and windows. She's managed to identify them as a venemous species used by certain members of the Aburame Clan."

"More specifically, after Itachi-niichan and I discussed their constant presence, I asked the head of the Aburame Clan about users of that specific species and learned that one of their clan members was taken in by Root after accidentally killing his abusive father out of self-defense." Aiko remarked.

At this, Hiruzen sweat-dropped, "Aiko, given that you were able to find all of that out, and the flawless plan that you came up with to extract the truth from Danzō, I'd say you've also inherited your father's talent for gathering information." At this, the little girl beamed with pleasure and Hiruzen looked back at Itachi, "Do what you need to in order to deal with your 'escort.' I've ordered that Root be dissolved, but... I can't say for sure that it won't continue operating in secret."

"When I use the Kotoamatsukami, I implanted a command in Danzō's mind to completely respect your authority as the Hokage." Shisui said, "That being said, you won't be the Hokage forever. I can't guarantee that the suggestion will apply to your successor."

"There's also the risk that a member of Root will realize that Danzō was being controlled." Aiko pointed out, "As Otousan pointed out, he's pretty resistant to genjutsu, but at the same time, mind control isn't beyond the abilities of a skilled enough caster even without the Kotoamatsukami. Although I'm not certain if such genjutsu is possible without at least having a visual prowess."

Hiruzen nodded, "I will keep Danzō under surveillance." He said, "I really must commend you, Aiko. If you were older, your abilities would merit public recognition. Having said that, it's rather difficult to extend proper recognition to a child who is not yet old enough to enter the Academy. Which reminds me, Sasuke is entering the Academy this spring, isn't he?"

"That's right." Aiko said with a nod before pouting, "But I'm not. I was born six weeks too late."

At that, Hiruzen sweat-dropped before looking at Itachi, "Which brings me to a different point altogether. Truth be told, Itachi, while I understand Megumi's concerns, I actually would like for you to enter the ANBU for the purpose of a particular mission." Itachi raised a brow at this, but waited for the Hokage to continue, "As it stands, all of Aiko's friends will be entering the Academy in the spring, while she will have to wait another year. There's no telling what trouble a curious child like her might find without friends to keep her busy. As it stands, there is currently only one member of the ANBU assigned to keep watch over her, but regardless of who it is, keeping tabs on somebody 24/7 is a difficult job for one person. That's why I would like for you to join the ANBU as a second member to that assignment. You can guard her during the day while her current bodyguard keeps watch at night. In that way, she'll have somebody to keep her company while Sasuke and their friends are at school. Naturally, you'll still be sent out on ordinary missions regularly, just a bit less frequently than you are now, to prevent people from questioning your constant presence in the village. That being said, the mission is in need of a second member, and this is one that you are uniquely suited for. Sometimes, the easiest place to hide is in plain view."

"I agree." Fugaku remarked. "Aiko is almost always with either you or Sasuke, or sometimes both. Nobody in the clan will think much of it."

"I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Aiko has the potential to become the most gifted analyst among the Uchiha, if not the village." The Hokage added, "But that is also why she is prone to being targeted by other villages and requires protection."

Itachi nodded. "I understand. In that case, I will do as you ask and join the ANBU so that I can protect my sister."

"And on that note, starting today, I want you to take a week off." Hiruzen added.

Itachi blinked in confusion. "What?"

"You haven't taken a single day off since your Chuunin Exam, five months ago." The Third pointed out, "That's not good for your mind or your body. However talented you may be, Itachi, you are still only a child. Most children your age are still in the Academy. Take some time to rest and relax. It's for your own good."

"Constant use of your body and mind does wear on a person." Aiko added, "You could make yourself sick. You're always wound up. Your body needs time to _unwind."_

"I agree." Fugaku said with a nod, "Take the week off from training with Shisui too. You're a little overzealous, sometimes, Itachi. If you don't stop to rest occasionally, you're going to wear yourself out."

Itachi sighed, "Understood. I'll take the next week off then..."

"Yay!" Aiko suddenly exclaimed, much to Itachi's surprise, "That means you're going to be home all week! Wait til Sasuke-niichan finds out! We can read books and draw pictures and play all kinds of games!" She continued while dragging Itachi out of the room by his hand.

Shisui sweat-dropped, "Something tells me that those two aren't going to let Itachi out of their sight for the next seven days. Is he even going to have a chance to relax?"

"He'll be fine." Fugaku said with an expression of fondness for his children. "Itachi is at his most relaxed when he's with those two. I'll still see to it that he spends some time with somebody his own age though."

兄弟

And so it was that Itachi spent the next three days or so looking after his younger siblings. Frankly speaking, he didn't know what to do with himself anyway, since training had also been forbidden for the week. Despite that, he didn't feel particularly restless, except in the early mornings when Sasuke was still asleep—Aiko, for some reason, was not sleeping in as she normally did—but his body habitually awoke before dawn. For some reason, Aiko seemed to treasure this alone time she got with Itachi while everyone else was asleep, so Itachi suspected that she was making a point to get up for it.

Truth be told, there was nothing Itachi loved more than spending time with his siblings. True, he spent a lot of time training and going on missions, but both of those were a means to an end. The time that he dedicated to both of those things served to help him achieve his dreams of becoming the strongest shinobi. To keep the village safe—to keep Sasuke and Aiko safe—_everyone_ would know and fear the name Uchiha Itachi.

That said, neither training nor missions were things that he truly enjoyed. Unlike Sasuke, who poured his heart and soul into his training for the sheer joy of improving his skills, Itachi dedicated himself with a clear goal in mind. Perhaps that was why Sasuke always had a bright smile on his face while training whereas Itachi's brow was eternally furrowed in concentration. At least that's what Shisui had said.

By contrast, this time with his siblings was far more enjoyable to him. It was, perhaps, the thing that he enjoyed the most. It had suddenly struck him just how big Sasuke was getting. Despite the addition of Aiko to their family, it still felt like only yesterday to Itachi that Sasuke had been crawling and learning to talk. Now, whenever he was home, both children followed him everywhere, constantly calling his name and telling him all about themselves and what they had been up to. And so it was that Itachi played games with them, helped them with their kanji, read books to them, and helped them to train. He even joined them on their daily excursions to the park, with both Naruto and Sakura taking a shine to him as well.

兄弟

"Where's Itachi-niichan today, Aiko-chan?" Naruto asked. He called Itachi that not out of a sense of kinship as Aiko did, but simply because the honorific was one that he used to address any boy that was older than him.

"Otousan told him that he should go out and spend some time with a friend his own age." Aiko answered, "So I'm guessing he's with Izumi-neechan."

"Izumi-neechan?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"She's a member of our clan who entered the Academy the same year as Itachi-niichan." Aiko explained, "She's like me. Only one of her parents is from the clan, so my mama and papa were close with hers."

"Why is having a mom or dad from a different clan such a big deal?" Naruto asked.

"It's just not very common among the Uchiha." Aiko replied. "Izumi-neechan's Papa was from another clan, and originally, she was registered with that one. But I heard that her papa died during the Kyuubi incident before I was born, and that caused her to awaken her Sharingan, so she's an Uchiha now."

"That doesn't make sense." Sakura said, scrunching up her nose in confusion, "How could she not be an Uchiha before? And why change it?"

"The Sharingan is only known to exist in the Uchiha Clan." Aiko replied, "I think that since she awakened it after her papa died, both clans preferred that she be called an Uchiha." She scrunched up her face in consternation. "It doesn't really matter though. The only actual difference is her last name. Izumi-neechan is Izumi-neechan. And I'm me. Which clan we get our surname from really doesn't matter."

"Uh, speaking of Izumi-san, isn't that her?" Sasuke asked while pointing to a girl running past them in tears.

Aiko sighed, "Oh dear..." She slipped off the swing she was on.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"Itachi-niichan means well, but he's too blunt and sometimes sticks his foot in his mouth when he speaks." Aiko said, "He probably said something to Izumi-neechan and she completely misunderstood his meaning and took off crying. I'd better go clear things up with her."

兄弟

"So what happened?" Aiko asked when she had managed to catch up to Izumi and convinced her to sit down at a playground that was within the Uchiha Compound.

"Itachi-kun told me that I shouldn't become a ninja..." Izumi said, her lip still quivering as she stared at the ground.

"Did he say why?" Aiko probed.

"He said that being a ninja means actual battles, that I'll have to deal with many awful, terrible things and that a 'girl like me' shouldn't have to go through that..." Izumi said dejectedly.

"Oh, Izumi-neechan... Itachi-niichan wasn't trying to insult you or anything like that..." Aiko assured her, "He said that because he's worried about you."

Izumi looked up at the younger girl in confusion, "Worried?"

"Itachi-niichan struggles with social situations for which there are no clear rules. He doesn't even know the proper tone to take with genin who are older than him." Aiko explained before grinning slightly in amusement, "As talented and smart as he is, he's actually extremely awkward in his own way." She looked down and swung her feet a little, "But, now that we're siblings, I'm able to understand him pretty well. I know it probably doesn't seem like it, but Itachi-niichan actually doesn't like to fight. In fact, he doesn't like violence or conflict at all. That's part of why he's become so skilled at genjutsu. It enables him to take down an enemy without actually hurting them. I don't much about this, but... apparently, he witnessed things during the war that affected him deeply."

"Come to think of it, when I defended him from some upperclassmen at the Academy, he said that I saved him." Izumi said thoughtfully, "I mean, I didn't really _do_ anything. They just got scared and ran when they saw my Sharingan, and I hadn't even activated it on purpose. I was just mad at them for saying mean things. I didn't think much of it at the time, but looking back, I realize that he was really grateful to me for saving him from having to fight the upperclassmen. He could've beaten them easily, I'm sure, but he didn't _want _to. At the same time, if they had outright attacked him, he wouldn't have had a choice."

Aiko nodded, "Itachi-niichan doesn't like the idea of fighting with a comrade, no matter how unpleasant they are. But that's beside the point. He never meant that to imply that you don't have the talent to be a shinobi. He just doesn't want you to suffer from heartbreaking experiences. You know how you awakened your Sharingan after your papa was killed during the Kyuubi incident? Itachi-niichan awakened his after witnessing the death of his teammate. What's worse, it was supposed to be a mission in which the genin wouldn't be in any actual danger." She hung her head again, trembling slightly, "Itachi-niichan was also nearly killed that day. The enemy was so strong, that even he didn't have the slightest idea how to fight him."

Izumi's eyes widened slightly, and then she bit her lip and looked away, "I heard about the death of his teammate and the awakening of his Sharingan, but I didn't know about that part. It was one of the upperclassmen that I had confronted too..."

Aiko nodded again as she met Izumi's eyes, "That's why he's a shinobi. Itachi-niichan trains and trains to become strong so that he can protect all of those he loves. The truth is, if you become a ninja, he won't be able to protect you while you're on missions. He's scared, both of you suffering as he has, and of losing you. He wants you to be safe and happy."

Izumi's eyes widened as a blush spread across her cheeks, and then she smiled, "Thank you, Aiko-chan. I understand now. I'm going to go find him and apologize for running off."

Aiko smiled and nodded, "Oh, and one more thing. I heard Okaasan say this to Otousan this morning; 'It's a date whether the boy knows it or not.'"

Izumi giggled and ran off to find Itachi, and Aiko hopped off of her swing.

"You're pretty good at resolving things."

The five-year-old girl turned and looked over her shoulder to find Shisui standing there, "Shisui-san..."

Shisui grinned at her, "Well done. There was no way I could've fixed that. Itachi's good at lying to himself, so sometimes even he doesn't know what's going on in his own head. I can explain it to him, but explaining it to Izumi is a whole different story."

"Yes, well, _girls_ in general tend to have better communication skills than boys. At least in this clan."

Shisui laughed, "Well I can't deny that. To be honest, if somebody asked him about it, he'd probably say that Izumi is just a friend."

"'A person's first love often goes unnoticed until one day, it suddenly hits them like a bolt of lightning'. That's what Mama said in some of her psychology research." Shisui laughed again and Aiko looked slightly annoyed, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Shisui said with a shake of his head, "You just remind me a lot of Itachi. You two are a lot alike."

Aiko looked slightly perplexed at this, but decided to change the subject, "Hey, will you help me with my genjutsu training? Sasuke-niichan prefers taijutsu or ninjutsu, so it's hard to ask Itachi-niichan for help, since I'm hardly ever with Itachi-niichan by myself."

Shisui grinned and lifted the girl onto his back, "Sure. Although that's gonna change pretty soon, you know."

"You call _seven _months soon?"

"You know that the Academy is going to have no idea what to do with you when you do enter, right? After all, they're finally implementing that policy that your mom kept pushing for. Izumi will be one of the last people to graduate early."

"That's the instructor's problem, not mine." Aiko said bluntly, "I can't wait around, going at the same pace as everyone else. I don't have time for that."

"Why the rush?"

"If... If Itachi-niichan hadn't been there that day... If he had been killed by Obito-niichan... then I..."

Shisui frowned. "It's okay to be scared, Aiko-chan."

Aiko leaned her head against the back of Shisui's neck. "I don't want to be scared. I'd rather be strong so that I won't need to be afraid."

Shisui sighed, "Well at least you're honest with yourself..." Aiko said nothing, only wrapping her arms more tightly around the boy that she considered to be a third older brother, trying to ignore the voice that was echoing in her head.

兄弟

It was late at night that same day when Aiko quietly entered Sasuke and Itachi's room, hugging her pillow close to her chest. She silently walked over to where her brothers were sleeping with their futons placed side by side. "Itachi-niichan..." She whispered quietly. She knew it could be dangerous to go about awakening a trained shinobi the wrong way, but she was also trying to avoid waking Sasuke in the process. To her relief, Itachi's sharp senses noticed her presence and caused him to awaken.

"Aiko? What's the matter?" He asked.

"I had a bad dream..." She whimpered, hugging her pillow closer, "Can I sleep in your bed tonight?"

Itachi pulled back his bedspread and moved over to make room in response. "I thought you trained with your Sharingan at night to avoid those?"

"I do, normally." Aiko explained as she sat down on the futon and set her pillow next to Itachi's. "But I decided to take a break to give my eyes a rest, just like you're resting your body this week."

"That explains why you've been up unusually early." Itachi remarked.

"I think the monster causes them." Aiko admitted as she laid down and scooted closer to Itachi.

"Like a genjutsu?" Itachi asked.

"Mm." Aiko nodded, "I knew it wasn't real, and when I woke up, I found that I had activated my Sharingan in my sleep."

"So you instinctively used it to break free." Itachi surmised.

"I guess. But I'm scared. What if next time, it's stronger, and I _can't_ break free?"

Now Itachi understood the reason she had asked to sleep in his bed and he smiled gently at her, "Don't worry, Aiko. I will definitely protect you. That's what big brothers are for."

"Really?" Aiko asked as she looked up at him, her eyes shining with curiosity, "Then what are little sisters for?"

Itachi reached up and gently poked her forehead. "I'll tell you tomorrow. For now, let's get some sleep." Aiko nodded, now excited at the prospect of learning what her purpose as a sister was. She snuggled close to Itachi's chest, her fears melting away as she felt her brother's arms wrap around her securely.

* * *

I had the hardest time figuring out what to call this chapter, but as it primarily focuses on Itachi and Aiko's interactions, Aiko's ability to perceive even what Itachi is thinking, and the similarities between them, I decided to just borrow the Naruto series' tactic of using people's names.


	14. Juugoya

The following morning, Aiko awoke at almost precisely the same time as Itachi, which was good for Itachi's sake, given the way she had burrowed next to him on the futon. There was no way he could've gotten up without waking her. She was too light of a sleeper. The same couldn't be said of Sasuke, who was sprawled in an odd position and barely even on his futon. Aiko had had to stifle a laugh at the sight before leaving the room with Itachi.

"I'll make us some eggs. You like scrambled eggs, right?" Itachi asked when they entered the kitchen after brushing their teeth and getting dressed.

"Yeah, thanks." Aiko said as she wandered over to a calendar on the wall and looked at it, noting that the current date was marked as being a full moon. "Hey... Itachi-niichan... what month is it on the lunar calendar?"

"It's the eight month, the beginning of autumn. Why?" Itachi asked as he cooked the eggs.

Aiko frowned, "I'll need to make a supply run..." She muttered.

Itachi glanced at her quizzically before returning to his cooking. When he had finished, he set the scrambled eggs on toast before Aiko. Aiko raised a brow at the color of the bread.

"I think you turned the toaster up too high, Oniichan." The five-year-old said bluntly.

Itachi sweat dropped and then grinned awkwardly, "I think you're right." He admitted.

Without making further comment on the food, Aiko quietly began to eat. After a few minutes, she looked up at Itachi. "Hey, Itachi-niichan, you told me that you would tell me what little sisters are for today."

Itachi smiled softly at her. "You know how you cleared up the misunderstanding I had with Izumi yesterday?"

"Uh-huh."

"Since you've been in our family, you've also managed to quell the members of our clan who resented the village." Itachi pointed out, "You've even reprimanded members of the police force for going too far. You've also uncovered hidden threats that nobody else was aware of. You've reduced the tensions between both the clan and the village, and the tensions that existed between clan members." He placed a hand on the little girl's head. "Last night I told you that a big brother is there to protect his younger siblings, but as for little sisters... I think perhaps a younger sister's role is to protect the family as a whole and keep it together. In some ways, you do more to protect the clan than any adult could, Aiko."

Aiko's eyes widened and her face blossomed into a bright smile at his words. She turned and looked at her breakfast again as Itachi removed his hand. "Hey... could you help me improve my resistance to genjutsu after breakfast?" She asked. "Shisui-san helped me some yesterday, but I need to get even better. I can't just keep sleeping in your bed after all."

"I don't mind, but I thought you wanted to give your eyes a break?" Itachi asked as Aiko bit into the burnt toast.

She chewed her food and swallowed before looking back at her older brother, "I do, but it doesn't do much good if I can't even sleep in safety."

兄弟

Roughly two hours later, Aiko stood panting in the backyard, her hands on her knees and sweat-dripping down her face.

"I think we should stop here, Aiko." Itachi remarked. Unlike her, he wasn't tired at all, but then, Fugaku would've scolded him if he had so much as broken a sweat this week during any kind of training, even that which was geared toward his siblings.

"Not yet..." Aiko panted. "I'm not... strong enough yet."

"Aiko, you're running out of chakra." Itachi said bluntly. "Kaasan is just now cooking breakfast for her, Tousan, and Sasuke, and you're nearing exhaustion. If we go any further, you'll pass out."

"Fine..." She acquiesced, straightening up and following Itachi to sit on the step of the engawa. He handed her a bamboo container filled with water and she drink from it greedily.

"Careful now. Not too fast." He reminded her.

"You guys started training without me? No fair!" Sasuke exclaimed as he came out of his and Itachi's room.

"This was genjutsu training, or more accurately, genjutsu-resistance training." Itachi told him. "We didn't think you'd be interested. Besides, Aiko was up long before you. The early bird gets the worm, Sasuke."

"The early bird falls back asleep." Sasuke said bluntly as he pointed to Aiko, who had fallen asleep with her head on Itachi's shoulder. Itachi grinned awkwardly.

"I knew we should've stopped sooner."

"So does that mean that you'll help just me with shuriken training after breakfast?" Sasuke asked.

"Sure."

"Yeah!" The younger boy exclaimed happily, running off to go join his parents.

"Shh! You'll wake her!" Itachi scolded.

兄弟

"I can't believe she insisted on training so hard that she fell back asleep." Mikoto said with a shake of her head as she watched Aiko sleeping in Itachi's arms while she, Fugaku, and Sasuke ate breakfast.

"I can't believe she can already sustain her Sharingan long enough for that kind of training." Fugaku said in bemusement.

"Actually, she only used her Sharingan during the last five minutes or so." Itachi remarked as he shifted his sister slightly. "Not continuously, mind you. I wouldn't be surprised if she could maintain her Sharingan for that long while sitting still, but using it to break genjutsu requires more chakra."

"I guess that explains how she memorized an entire dictionary in only a week." Mikoto said with another shake of her head.

"She doesn't have to actually process the information to memorize it with her Sharingan, so I doubt she had to glance at any one page for more than a second." Itachi confirmed, "She's been slowly building up her endurance though."

"She's in too much of a rush to grow up." Mikoto sighed.

"Actually, I don't think she is." Itachi remarked, "I think she's just scared."

Fugaku nodded, "I'm not surprised. She's seen and gone through a lot in a relatively short amount of time. Even grown shinobi would find it difficult to cope."

"Maybe tonight will help." Mikoto mused.

"Tonight?" Fugaku asked in confusion.

"It's Juugoya." Mikoto reminded him, "I invited Kushina and Naruto-chan over for dinner. Really, we've been meaning to get together for ages. I invited Haruno Mebuki and Haruno Kizashi too, since their daughter Sakura plays with our kids. I had also invited the Yamanaka head family, since their daughter has been playing with the kids recently too, but Inoichi-san said they had a prior engagement with the Nara and Akimichi."

"Is this a get-together or a dinner party?" Fugaku asked, his tone slightly amused despite his stoic expression.

"Well better our house than Kushina's." Mikoto remarked with a smile, "Ours is bigger. And has a yard. The last thing she needs is two Uchiha kids and her own son tearing through her house like a hurricane."

"Naruto-kun and Sasuke are prone to squabbling, so that's probably for the best." Itachi agreed. "Speaking of the moon, for some reason, Aiko was asking about the lunar calendar when I was making her breakfast. Any idea why?"

"Who knows?" Mikoto sighed, "We honestly never have any idea what is going through that child's head."

兄弟

"Where's Aiko-chan?" Naruto asked Sasuke and Itachi, "How come she didn't come with you guys today?"

"She said something about making a supply run, although she didn't say for what." Itachi remarked.

"She's acting really weird today." Sasuke remarked, "First she gets up early with you, then trains in genjutsu until she's totally exhausted. And when she left to go shopping, she took a wagon with her! Just how much stuff does she plan to buy?!"

"She didn't sleep well last night." Itachi remarked, "You didn't notice, but she came into our room because she'd had a nightmare. Perhaps she's still upset by it."

"I hope she feels better by the time we come to your house for dinner." Sakura said.

"I wish I could've come over for that." Ino remarked, "But I have to go to some thing with my parents..." She made a face that implied she was not looking forward to it.

"Never mind that for now!" Naruto exclaimed impatiently, "Let's play a game!"

"Hide-and-seek!" Sasuke agreed, "Aiko's not here to kick our butts today! We can use this to get better so we can beat her! Niisan, you're it!" He declared before running off.

Itachi chuckled to himself as he followed the children to their usual spot.

兄弟

Sasuke and Itachi arrived home with Naruto and Sakura in tow just as the latter's parents were arriving. Itachi greeted them politely and then turned to go inside, but stopped and blinked, "Since when are there owls on our doorstep...?"

"Those definitely weren't there yesterday." Shisui confirmed as he walked up to the group, "Did Aiko-chan go shopping for decor items or something?"

"I wonder..." Itachi replied in confusion before heading inside with the others. Upon entering the foyer, Sasuke immediately tugged on his brother's sleeve.

"Have we always had that Manekineko?" He asked while pointing to the black porcelain cat on the cabinet to the side.

Itachi sweat-dropped. "No. That wasn't there yesterday either." He confirmed.

"Why would she buy a _black_ one?" Shisui wanted to know. The three Uchiha all exchanged concerned glances before they headed into the living area, only to sweat-drop at the sight of Aiko plastering small pieces of paper everywhere.

"Aiko... what are you doing?" Itachi asked tentatively.

"Tonight is Juugoya." Aiko said plainly.

"Yes... I'm aware of that." Itachi remarked, "That's why we're having the dinner party."

"When did you learn how to walk on walls?" Shisui asked as he watched her walk straight up a wall to plaster more papers to a support beam.

"Papa taught me." Aiko replied before jumping down, "Without the Sharingan, chakra control is key to escaping genjutsu."

"These are curse-warding seals..." Kushina remarked as she looked at the tags Aiko was using, "Why on earth are you...?"

"Juugoya is a night of misfortune." Aiko said flatly before dragging over a blanket containing several bags of salt. Since you're here, you boys can help." She hefted up one of the bags with all the strength she could muster and handed it to Shisui. "Go and put some by the front door and every door leading to the engawa." She handed another bag to Itachi. "Don't be stingy, make it a big pile." She deposited a bag into Sasuke's arms, and then Naruto's.

"Uh... why?" Sasuke asked in confusion.

"To keep monsters out." Aiko replied before returning to her seals.

Sasuke opened his mouth to protest, but Itachi placed a hand on his shoulder, "Just humor her, Sasuke."

"Sakura-chan, Auntie Kushina, will you help me put these up all over the house? They need to be in every room." Aiko said as she held out stacks of the tags.

"Uh, sure..." Kushina said hesitantly.

"I guess we'd better help too." Mebuki said to Kizashi. "Sakura can't climb walls like Aiko-chan can."

Kizashi nodded and followed his wife.

"Okay..." Aiko muttered to herself a while later, "The boys are putting out the salt and there's seal tags everywhere... I put owls on the porch and the Manekineko in the foyer... We have an actual koi pond, so I don't need to worry about that... Is there anything else...?"

"Aiko." Mikoto called, "Enough with the wards. It's time for dinner."

"Coming!" Aiko called as she grabbed a bunch of pouches from off of the coffee table. When she joined everyone for the party, she handed the small pouches out. "Here. I got enough for everyone whose here tonight."

"Omamori?" Fugaku asked with a raised brow.

"Aiko, what is going on?" Mikoto wanted to know.

"I don't want anyone dying tonight." The little brunette said, and everyone looked at her in confusion.

兄弟

"Well, I guess we'll be going then, Mikoto." Kushina said as she stood up from putting on her sandals a few hours later.

"We should get going too." Mebuki agreed.

"No!" Aiko practically screamed, dashing past Kushina and blocking the door.

"Wha—? Aiko-chan!" Kushina exclaimed in surprise.

"You can't go outside _now!_ It's already dark out!" Aiko insisted. "The curse is already awake!" That wasn't quite the proper way to say it, but even if she _had_ memorized a dictionary, when it came down to it, Aiko was still only five-years-old.

"Curse? What curse?" Kushina asked.

"The curse of the full moon!" Aiko insisted. "It's strongest on Juugoya!"

All of the others stared at her blankly.

"...She's lost it." Sasuke said when he finally broke the silence.

"Hey! Sasuke!" Naruto protested.

"Aiko, what is this all about?" Mikoto asked as she knelt down to her child's level.

"Papa's research." Aiko explained, her eyes wide with fear and brimming with tears, "He said that all shinobi are cursed by the full moon, but some clans are more cursed than others. The Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Haruno are among the clans that get the worst of it. He also said that the curse is strongest on Juugoya because that is when the curse is the most visible."

"Why on earth would we be cursed by the full moon?" Sasuke wanted to know.

"Otousan, you know, don't you? About the story of how the Uchiha came to be. About the Sage of Six Paths." Aiko said while looking at Fugaku.

When Kushina and the others looked at him, Fugaku closed his eyes in thought as he recited the tale. "The story passed down in our clan is that there was once a great tree which produced a single fruit once every thousand years. Eating that fruit was forbidden. However, roughly one-thousand years ago, a woman called Otsutsuki Kaguya ate the fruit and became the first person to possess chakra. She gave birth to a son, Hagoromo, who became the Sage of Six Paths and the founder of all shinobi. He was also, so to speak, the grandfather of the Uchiha Clan."

"That's right. Mostly." Aiko said. "However, there is something not fully explained in the story passed down within the clan. Sometime after Hagoromo and his brother Hamura were born, they learned that their mother, Kaguya, was feared by the people of this world as a demon because of the atrocities that she committed without their knowledge. In order to stop her, they fought against her and eventually managed to seal her away. The entity that was created when they did this is what we now know as the moon. Thus, Kaguya came to hate her sons and, just before she was sealed, placed a curse upon them and their descendants. Papa's belief was that to this day, along with its light, Kaguya's dark hatred toward her descendants radiates out from the moon. This power is strongest during the full moon and especially on Juugoya. The reason is... that the full moon is most visible on Juugoya than at any other time of year. Konoha gets the worst of this curse because the village is filled with clans that descended from her two sons."

"I never took Nichi to be so superstitious." Kushina remarked, utterly confounded.

"Do you have any proof?" Sasuke wanted to know.

"On the night of Juugoya, a little less than six years ago, a traitor to the Hidden Leaf used the Kyuubi to attack the village and Naruto-kun's father, the Fourth Hokage, lost his life, along with many other shinobi, in order to protect the village. Many civilians died as well, and the village sustained heavy damage." Aiko said matter-of-factly.

"Uh, but... Aiko-chan... that was also the night that Naruto was born, you know?" Kushina said with a nervous smile.

"I'm aware." Aiko replied, "But Naruto-kun's birthday has come and gone five times since then without any major incidents. That was just an example, though. One that Sasuke-niichan would know. Truthfully, there are many other examples that my father found while researching the history of shinobi." Kushina sweat-dropped.

"Um, Aiko-chan, I appreciate your concern, but... we need to go home..." Mebuki said, "It's getting close to Sakura's bedtime."

Aiko sighed and closed her eyes, "I don't mean to be rude, Mrs. Haruno, but..." She opened her eyes again to reveal her Sharingan, "_Nobody_ is leaving this house until daybreak. Nobody is even stepping outside into the yard. It is not up for debate."

Mikoto sighed in exasperation, "Aiko, for goodness sakes, deactivate your Sharingan. You're scaring the Harunos." She turned and looked at her guests apologetically, "I'm sorry, but... there's no convincing her when she's like this. She can be... incredibly stubborn once she makes up her mind."

"And if she feels it's necessary, she _might_ knock you out with genjutsu." Shisui pointed out, "I wouldn't put it past her, five-years-old or not."

Mebuki and Kizashi sweat-dropped and Kushina sighed.

"Well, I guess we're staying here for tonight." She said in defeat.

Aiko nodded, "We have two guest rooms. Shisui-san can sleep in my brothers' room. Naruto can borrow some of Sasuke-niichan's pajamas and I can lend Sakura-chan a nightgown. When I was out shopping for everyone, I purchased toothbrushes for everybody and made sure we'd have enough toothpaste."

Mebuki sweat-dropped. "She was already prepared for this?"

"Trust me, I'm not surprised." Fugaku remarked, "She's _always_ looking and thinking and planning ahead."

"Oh, and we need to make sure to lock all of the windows and doors. Immediately." Aiko added. Everyone else just sweat-dropped.

兄弟

An hour or so later, Itachi sat in his and Sasuke's room, the four younger children gathered in his and Shisui's laps as the preteen read aloud from Aiko's favorite storybook. The three mothers peered in at the scene and smiled.

"Itachi-kun is really good with children." Mebuki said quietly.

"He's adored Sasuke since the day that he was born, so I think it stems from that." Mikoto replied before whispering to the other two. "I think he adores Aiko just as much now."

"He seems like he's a bit indulgent of her." Kushina remarked.

"He understands her way of thinking. They're very similar to each other, and he can relate, at least to a point, to what she experienced when Megumi and Nichi were killed." Mikoto explained. She frowned slightly as she watched them. "Sometimes I think that she's trying to take on everything her parents had set out to do."

"What's her blood type?" Mebuki asked.

"O, just like her great-grandfather."

"Ah, no wonder she's so ambitious." Kushina remarked with a smile.

"Maybe so, but she shouldn't have to carry such heavy burdens when she's still so young." Mikoto worried.

Kushina nodded in understanding and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder to reassure her. "Even so, I know that Megumi and Nichi believed in her, just like Minato believed in Naruto. Naruto doesn't know about it right now, but when Minato died, he entrusted the future to him. Aiko is just more aware, but then, she's always been perceptive. She gets that from both of them."

Mikoto nodded slowly in reply.

Itachi finished the story and looked down, smiling softly as he saw that his siblings had both fallen asleep in his lap. Mebuki and Kushina came in and gently took their own sleeping children from Shisui. The older Uchiha boy sat back down beside Itachi. "Here. I'll tuck Sasuke-kun in." He said as he reached for the little boy. "You take Aiko-chan to her room and get her settled."

Itachi nodded. "Hopefully she sleeps peacefully tonight."

兄弟

Several hours later, in the middle of the night, Aiko was indeed sleeping peacefully. That is until a shadow loomed over her and she awoke with a start as a hand was clasped over her mouth. She reached up to try and pry it off, but froze when she felt the cold metal of a kunai against her neck. She stared up in fear at the man wearing an orange mask with black stripes and only a single eyehole. She knew in an instant who it was.

Uchiha Obito.

"Not a sound." Obito warned her quietly. With the kunai at her neck, Aiko didn't even dare to nod, but Obito could see that she understood. He removed his hand from her mouth and placed it on her shoulder instead, forcing her to stand up. He then moved behind her, still holding the kunai to her neck and moving his other hand to grab hold of her opposite shoulder. "Show me where your father's historical research is." Seeing no other option, Aiko led him to the bookcase in her room and pointed out a set of ten binders on the top shelf. "All of those?" Aiko nodded silently and Obito removed the kunai. "Good, now..." He turned Aiko toward him. She was deliberately looking down, so he cupped her chin and forced her to meet his eye. To his surprise, however, she met his Sharingan with her own.

_"Well, well..." Obito said in surprise, "I didn't expect that you would try to fight back against my genjutsu. But surely you know you can't win. Even if you're already better at genjutsu than me, I have a great deal more chakra than you do."_

_"I'm aware of that, but I wanted to speak with you." Aiko answered. "Why are you doing this, Obito-niichan? Why did you betray Konoha and the Uchiha Clan?"_

_"Uchiha Obito no longer exists." He replied._

_"What is that supposed to mean?"_

_He shook his head, "It's too much for a child like you to understand." When Aiko opened her mouth to protest, he cut her off, "Enough talk. It's time to end this."_

Within the real world, Obito caught Aiko before she could collapse to the ground, concerned that the sound might awaken Itachi and Shisui in the next room over. He narrowed his eye at the limp form of the little girl.

'_Even though she's too young to defeat me in genjutsu, she managed to resist me enough that I was unable to kill her with it. Fine then. I'll give her a death worthy of an Uchiha.'_

兄弟

Itachi and Shisui both awoke upon noticing a scent that they _knew_ didn't belong. Smoke! Something was on fire! Itachi immediately activated his Sharingan and looked toward Aiko's room. He could make out the flame that was her chakra, but it was in the wrong part of the room entirely! His gaze met Shisui's, who nodded to him. In an instant, the older boy had transported himself, Itachi, and Sasuke to the door of the room. Itachi swiftly unlocked the door and threw it open, allowing Shisui to carry Sasuke into the backyard while he rushed to Aiko's room. The ANBU who served as Aiko's clandestine bodyguard was already slicing through the door with his katana and Itachi followed him inside. The shinobi held up an arm to shield his eyes from the smoke.

"I can't see her!" He called in alarm to Itachi.

The preteen's eyes automatically locked onto his sister's chakra. "There! At eleven o'clock! The flames have almost reached her!"

The shinobi nodded and wove a few signs, "Suiton: Reppouuo!" He released streams of water from his hands, directing them to douse the flames, aiming for those nearest Aiko first. As soon as he was able, Itachi darted past the shinobi and scooped up his younger sister, immediately carrying her out of the room and to the fresh air outside. "Aiko!" He cried with concern. The little girl was bound and gagged, confirming Itachi's earlier suspicion that she had been attacked. He knelt down on the ground with her and managed to yank away the cloth that had been used to prevent her from screaming. Aiko immediately began coughing violently.

"I-Itachi-niichan...!" She managed between coughs.

"It's okay." Itachi said gently as he helped her sit up and patted her back, "You're safe now."

"Who did this, Aiko-chan?" Shisui asked as he knelt next to the pair, carefully using a kunai to cut the wires that had been used to bind her hands and feet.

As her coughing subsided, Aiko looked up weakly at Shisui to answer him, but promptly passed out instead.

"Aiko-chan!" Shisui exclaimed in alarm.

"Aiko!" Itachi and Sasuke both exclaimed at the same time.

As the adults, having become aware of the fire, came into the yard with Naruto and Sakura in tow, Shisui reached forward and felt Aiko's skin. "She probably passed out from smoke inhalation." He surmised.

"Shisui, take her to the hospital, we'll catch up with you." Fugaku told him. Shisui nodded, carefully taking the little girl into his arms and vanishing.

"I don't get it. A house full of shinobi and none of us noticed an intruder until it was almost too late?" Kushina questioned.

"I think this had something to do with it." The young ANBU said as he came out of Aiko's room. He held a piece of paper out to Kushina. Kushina took the paper and frowned, "This isn't one of Aiko-chan's curse wards. This is a seal tag to prevent chakra from being sensed outside of the room in question."

The shinobi nodded, "Lady Kushina, you're a sensory type. I'm guessing our culprit wanted to ensure that you wouldn't notice his presence."

"But how could they get in without anybody noticing?" Naruto wanted to know.

"Aiko's door was still locked." Sasuke agreed. "That's why you sliced through it."

"He didn't _have_ to unlock the door. He just went right through it..." Itachi said gravely. While the children and Sakura's parents were left utterly confused by his statement, Fugaku, Mikoto, and Kushina all understood instantly what Itachi meant.

* * *

I wrote this a while back, but then lost it, but that's okay, because this new version is better.

Also, for reference, in Japan, people with blood type O are believed to be ambitious, confident and self-determined. People with Type A (Itachi's blood type) are thought to be fastidious and over-earnest. People with Sasuke's type AB are thought to be calm, rational, and intelligent.

Thus, Mikoto, Kushina, and Mebuki believe that Aiko is trying to finish everything her parents had started because she is ambitious. Madara also had Type O blood, which is why Mikoto said that Aiko's blood type was the same as her great-grandfather's.

Also, owls are believed to bring good luck in Japan and are often placed on the doorsteps of Japanese houses for protection. Manekineko are also believed to bring good luck, but in particular, black ones are believed to protect against evil. Finally, omamori are small pouches containing good luck charms that Japanese people sometimes purchase from shrines. Their name literally implies that they are meant to be a protective charm.

Japanese people often sprinkle salt near doorways to ward off curses. Restaurants sometimes have small piles of salt by their doors for a similar purpose. Aiko was scared, so she basically wanted the boys to place a snowdrift's worth of salt by each door that led outside.

Aiko's curse-warding seals were inspired by The Hidden Steam Scrolls. Specifically, the seal tags placed in Mirai, Guy, and Kakashi's inn rooms to prevent a ghost from wandering about. In addition to plastering them all over the house (Fugaku and Mikoto will probably just leave them there, rather than go through her putting them up every year), Aiko placed one on every door and window.

While all of this did jack-squat to keep Obito from attacking her, it _did_ keep Kurozetsu out. He actually had to send Obito in because Aiko's efforts were preventing him from attacking her in her sleep again.


	15. After the Fire

"She's suffering from smoke inhalation and chakra depletion." A byouninja informed Mikoto and Fugaku when they arrived at the hospital with Itachi, Sasuke, and the Harunos and Uzumakis. "The chakra depletion is consistent with Sharingan usage in a child her age. Fortunately, your clan's strong fire chakra makes the Uchiha more resistant to burns than the average person, so she didn't suffer any external or internal injuries in that regard. Right now, it's just a matter of returning her blood gas levels to normal. We've put her on oxygen to help with that. She's still unconscious, but that's unsurprising with the chakra depletion. She probably tried to fight back against the intruder, but children her age really aren't capable of using the Sharingan in combat."

"Can we see her?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, but be quiet. I doubt even an earthquake could wake her up right now, but even so, you shouldn't disturb her rest." The medic told him.

Naruto nodded and he, Sasuke, and Sakura all hurried into the room, followed by their parents and Itachi. Shisui was already there, having remained by Aiko's side since she'd been brought into the room.

Sasuke walked over to the bed where his sister slept and took her hand in his own, frowning in frustration.

"She should've slept in our room again..." He remarked.

"None of us had any way of knowing that this would happen." Itachi told him, "Even Aiko herself wasn't expecting an intruder. Not with all of the seal tags that she put up."

Shisui nodded, "Let's just be glad that we were able to get to her before the flames did."

"Fugaku, Mikoto..." Came the voice of the Third Hokage as he opened the door.

"Oh! Lord Third!" Mikoto said in surprise.

"I received word that there was a fire in your home? What happened?" The Hokage asked.

Fugaku glanced at the group of small children gathered around his unconscious daughter and then looked at the Hokage. "I think we should explain somewhere more private." The Hokage nodded in understanding and Fugaku looked at Sakura's parents. "Mebuki-san, Kizashi-san, I'm sorry, but could you stay here with the children and keep an eye on them?"

Kizashi nodded in understanding. "Sure, no problem."

The other adults left the room, along with Itachi and Shisui, and joined the Hokage in a place where they could discuss that matter in private. Hatake Kakashi had come with the Hokage, and Aiko's ANBU bodyguard was there as well, assuring the Uchiha family that a comrade of his was watching over the little girl for now.

"So what happened?" Kakashi asked, "And why was Aiko-chan the only person injured?"

"Somebody snuck into her bedroom in the middle of the night and set fire to it after tying her up and gagging her so she couldn't escape." The young ANBU replied. "They must've been highly skilled in stealth to go unnoticed by both Lady Kushina and myself. Once they were inside, they used a seal tag to prevent their chakra from leaking out of her room."

"There's no guess about who it was." Itachi said, "It had to have been Obito. Aiko insisted on locking every door that led outside last night, and the door leading from her room to the engawa was still locked when we awoke. It seems that Aiko wasn't his only target though." He added, "I investigated her room after the fire had been put out. Her father's research had been piled on the floor. I think he set fire to that, specifically, because the research was totally destroyed. However, there's no doubt that he was targeting Aiko's life as well. If the research was all he was after, he could've just taken it and destroyed it somewhere outside the village. Setting fire to her bedroom and making sure that she couldn't escape on her own makes it clear that he was also trying to kill her."

"But why?" Mikoto asked with concern, "She's only five."

"Maybe there was something in her father's research that Obito didn't want anybody to find out about." Kushina speculated before looking thoughtful, "Or maybe... Itachi-kun, Sasuke-chan said something about her sleeping in your room, didn't he?"

"Yeah." Itachi said with a nod, "She came into our room about two nights ago and asked to sleep in my bed because she'd had a nightmare, but... both she and I suspected that she had really been attacked via a genjutsu while she slept, and that she had instinctively activated her Sharingan to free herself. She said she thought that... whoever or whatever it was that attacked her in the cemetery on her birthday was responsible."

"What do you mean?" Fugaku asked with his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I'm not entirely sure myself." Itachi admitted with a shrug, "Aiko just refers to it as 'the monster' or sometimes 'the monster that haunts the Uchiha'. But Kushina-san can confirm that there was definitely something attacking her in the graveyard that day."

Kushina nodded, "I never saw it, so I can't say for sure what it was, but it didn't feel... human. Although it definitely had a consciousness and more intelligence than an animal, not including summons. Whatever it was, it seemed to be attacking Aiko-chan's mind directly. She had totally lost awareness of her surroundings until I sensed it and Itachi-kun tried to investigate. Assuming her description is accurate... that this... thing... is indeed some kind of monster that haunts the Uchiha, maybe it's somehow related to the curse that she was going on about last night. When her parents died, she said something about Obito being influenced by a 'monster that haunts the Uchiha', didn't she? Assuming this is the same one that she was talking about, perhaps it couldn't attack her as usual because of the seals that she put around the house, including in her bedroom. If that's the case, then maybe it felt threatened by her knowledge of it and convinced Obito to attack her on its behalf. That would explain why Obito was targeting her father's research too."

"You may have a point, Kushina." Fugaku said, his own expression turning contemplative, "Before he disappeared, Obito never had much interest in Nichi's historical research, so he shouldn't know much about it. Not to mention that there was probably a lot added in the roughly ten-year span between when he vanished and when Nichi was killed. He wouldn't have any reason to be concerned by the research. Not unless someone else that's connected to him said it was a threat."

"And Aiko-chan clearly knows a lot about her father's research, judging by the way she was talking about it last night." Shisui agreed.

"My question is why she didn't call for help when Obito attacked her." Itachi remarked, "Aiko is a light sleeper. There's no way that Obito could've tied her up like that without waking her."

Shisui looked thoughtful. "The only reason she wouldn't call for help was if she couldn't..." He said thoughtfully, "The doctor said that her chakra depletion was consistent with Sharingan use in a child her age. There's no way she could've been fighting against him physically with the Sharingan without us hearing it. That would mean that she was fighting him with genjutsu instead."

"Based on the incident two years ago, it's safe to say that Obito's genjutsu abilities have grown exponentially since the war." Kakashi said with a nod. "Aside from myself, the only two people who were able to avoid being caught in his genjutsu were Itachi and Izumo Tenma, both of whom were genjutsu-types by nature."

"But Aiko-chan is a prodigy in genjutsu." The ANBU Shinobi pointed out.

"This situation is different." Fugaku said flatly, "Back then, there were too many targets for Obito to use the Sharingan, but in a one-on-one scenario, he could easily do so. Aiko is talented to be certain, but with her chakra levels and single-tomoe Sharingan, there's just no way that she could've beaten Obito, whose Sharingan has three tomoe, in a head-to-head match. Even though we could argue that having both her eyes gives her a certain advantage over someone with only one Sharingan, the fact is that she was still entirely outclassed. No matter how skilled the shinobi, age will place a limit on what a person can do."

"That's certainly true." Kakashi admitted, "Even if I were a genjutsu-type, when I was her age, there's no way that I could've overcome a powerful genjutsu cast by an adult. Albeit, it's difficult to compare since I didn't have the Sharingan at her age, and most shinobi can't combat a Sharingan user's genjutsu without it, not to mention that she hasn't yet entered the Academy."

"No." Itachi said, "Aiko's still small, but... I have very little doubt that she at least possesses the same abilities as a rookie genin. Leaving genjutsu aside, she's already become adept at shuriken jutsu and taijutsu, she's highly intelligent, and I happen to know that she can already produce three bunshin. In fact, yesterday she was walking up the walls to plaster those curse-warding seals."

"They don't teach that at that Academy." Kakashi remarked.

"Exactly." Itachi said. "To be frank, Sasuke is just as talented as she is. He just has a different skill set."

At that, the adults aside from Fugaku and Mikoto all sweat-dropped.

Hiruzen cleared his throat to break the silence. "The point is, Aiko must not have been able to scream, but she battled Obito in a genjutsu match and passed out from using her Sharingan. The smoke caused by the fire probably forced her to regain consciousness temporarily. As a defense mechanism for survival, it's possible for the body to temporarily access more chakra than normal in particularly dangerous situations."

"Which is why once she was brought outside, she passed out again almost immediately." Shisui surmised, and Hiruzen nodded in confirmation.

Mikoto sighed, "We can't let this happen again." She said determinedly before looking at Fugaku, "Perhaps Aiko should sleep in the boys' room until she's a little older and more proficient with her Sharingan. We can probably get away with that for at least two years before it becomes a problem for Itachi."

"By the time she's seven, she'll probably be skilled enough at genjutsu to safely sleep in her own room." Fugaku agreed, "In the meantime, we should place a heavier emphasis on genjutsu in her training to be on the safe side."

"She does most of her training with Sasuke though." Mikoto pointed out.

"Itachi, Shisui, and I can all help her." Fugaku said, "I admit these two are better at genjutsu than I am, but my skills in it aren't lacking."

Kushina chuckled, "That's true. You were known as 'Wicked-Eye Fugaku' during the war for a reason."

兄弟

It wasn't until the next afternoon when Aiko finally stirred and slowly opened her eyes.

"Aiko!" Sasuke exclaimed in concern.

"Are you okay?!" Naruto practically yelled.

"Calm down, you two." Kushina said as she pulled Naruto away. "Give Aiko-chan a little room to breathe."

"Come on, Sasuke." Mikoto agreed, "You too. You're too close."

Aiko looked over as Mikoto pulled Sasuke away, blinking in confusion at the room full of people.

"Aiko, how are you feeling?" Fugaku asked.

"Otousan?" She blinked, obviously a bit disoriented.

"Do you remember what happened?" Itachi asked gently.

Aiko furrowed her brow in thought before the memories flashed through her mind. Obito standing over her with a hand covering her mouth and a kunai to her neck. The genjutsu contest between them. The smoke choking her and the flames flickering towards her. Itachi suddenly appearing in her field of vision and lifting her into his arms. She gasped in shock, sitting up instantly, her eyes wide with fear and her Sharingan spinning to the surface as she panted. Itachi quickly wrapped his arms around her in order to ground her.

"It's okay. You're safe." He assured her.

"Hey... look at her eyes..." Shisui said slowly. Itachi looked at Aiko's Sharingan and his eyes widened as he saw what his friend meant.

"What?" Aiko asked, confused by the astonished look on Itachi's face. Mikoto held a small hand mirror out to Itachi and he held it up for Aiko to see her reflection. Her own eyes widened as she understood why everyone was so startled. "Two Tomoe...?"

"Sweetie, try to deactivate your Sharingan for now so you don't pass out again." Mikoto said.

Aiko nodded, now aware of herself enough to allow her eyes to return to normal.

"Aiko..." Fugaku began as he sat down on the bed, "Can you tell us what happened? Do you remember?"

Aiko nodded slowly as she gripped the blanket. "When I woke up... Uchiha Obito was there..." She began shakily. "He covered my mouth with his hand and held a kunai to my throat, telling me not to make any noise... so I didn't... He yanked me out of bed and demanded that I show him where Papa's research was. After I showed him, he tried to use his Sharingan to attack me with a genjutsu. I knew he would do that, so I activated my own Sharingan in preparation. I fought against his genjutsu as hard as I could. I couldn't quite break free, but he wasn't able to kill me with it either. That's what he was trying to do. Before I knew it... I ran out of chakra and passed out. When I woke up... I couldn't move. There was smoke and fire everywhere... I couldn't breathe... I couldn't hear anything except the flames. Then Itachi-niichan was there. That's the last thing that I remember."

"I see..." Fugaku said thoughtfully. "Pushing your Sharingan to the limit in order to survive against Obito's genjutsu must've caused it to mature a bit."

"I didn't even know that it was possible for somebody her age to have two Tomoe." Shisui remarked.

"It's unusual, yes, but not impossible." Fugaku replied, "Aiko awakened her Sharingan at an earlier age than most children, and has trained with it far more intensely than an average child her age would. Sometimes, extreme circumstances that push the limits of the user's abilities can force the Sharingan to reach its next stage. Technically, even three Tomoe at her age is possible, since awakening of the Mangekyō forcefully brings the Sharingan's normal form to full maturity. It's just that nobody has ever awakened the Mangekyō so young. But even Izumi, who is only eleven, has reached her third Tomoe, and she was only five when her Sharingan awakened. Not to mention that Itachi had two from the very beginning."

Aiko didn't seem to be paying any mind to Fugaku's explanation as she leaned against Itachi and gripped his shirt with her tiny hand. "I'm scared..."

"It's okay, Aiko." Itachi assured her as he stroked her hair soothingly, "Kaasan and Tousan have decided that you're going to sleep in mine and Sasuke's room from now on, until you get a little bit older. You trust me to keep you safe, right?"

Aiko nodded, although she gripped his shirt more tightly and looked up at him with fear-filled eyes. "But sometimes you go away on overnight missions, don't you?"

"When he does, you and Sasuke can sleep with us." Mikoto assured her as she sat down on the bed and stroked Aiko's bangs.

"I know you're scared, Hoshi, but we're going to take every precaution to make sure this doesn't happen again." Fugaku added.

"No one will ever hurt you again, Aiko, ever." Sasuke insisted. Aiko smiled down at her slightly older brother. She knew that Sasuke was being naive to say that, but it comforted her nonetheless, to know that he was also devoted to protecting her.

兄弟

"Hey, hey, Niisan!" Sasuke exclaimed about a month later as Itachi sat down on the agarikamachi. "Teach us shuriken jutsu!"

Itachi closed his eyes, "I'm busy. If you want to learn shuriken jutsu, it should be fine to ask Tousan."

"Yeah right!" Sasuke exclaimed, "You always, always say you're busy. You just dislike us, don't you? I get it. You dislike us." He pouted.

"Sasuke-niichan..." Aiko said with an awkward smile, not noticing the mixture of fondness and amusement on Itachi's face.

"Well, don't say that, Sasuke." The oldest child said. "I really don't have time today." He insisted.

"Today too, today..." Sasuke said as he continued to pout before sighing dramatically, "When will 'tomorrow' ever come?" Itachi smiled and beckoned Sasuke with his left hand. Sasuke smiled at the familiar gesture and trotted over to him.

"Forgive me, Sasuke." Itachi told him, reaching up and gently poking his forehead. Sasuke seemed surprised, but then he smiled as Itachi headed for the door. "Oh, that's right." The older boy said just after opening the front door. "The next time Tousan and Kaasan go somewhere, I may be able to take some time off."

"Huh?" Sasuke asked, "Really? When? When?!"

"Ask Tousan. See you." Itachi said before sliding the door closed.

Sasuke grinned with excitement. "Yeah!"

兄弟

"What is this fish?" Fugaku asked at dinner that night, "It's really good!"

"Really? It was on sale today!" Mikoto said happily.

"Things in season are always cheap and delicious." Sasuke said matter-of-factly.

"Is that so, Sasuke?" Fugaku asked before chuckling in amusement.

The four of them ate in silence for a moment as Sasuke stuffed his face with rice.

"Kaasan, seconds please!" He asked while presenting his empty bowl.

"Of course." Mikoto said as she took the bowl from him before looking at Aiko. "Aiko, what about you?"

"No thank you, Okaasan. I'm full." Aiko replied quietly.

Mikoto frowned. Ever since the fire, Aiko hadn't been eating as much. She ate what was given to her —a habit that Mikoto suspected had been taught to her by Nichi and Megumi—but never asked for seconds.

"Niisan said you're going somewhere." Sasuke remarked, not noticing his mother's concern, "When?"

"Ah, we're going to visit your mother's family." Fugaku replied.

"Oh..." Sasuke said, only vaguely interested.

"So he told you, did he?" Fugaku asked, "I thought we'd go on my next day off." He smiled at the children, "Will you come too?"

"We're gonna have Niisan teach us all sorts of stuff." Sasuke replied.

"He's going... to teach you?" Fugaku said in surprise.

"Yeah!" Sasuke said happily, "He promised."

"Itachi did?" Mikoto said in surprise, "That's rare, isn't it? Here's your rice." She added while returning Sasuke's bowl to him. "I can help you practice throwing kunai too, you know."

Sasuke stuffed a bit of rice into his mouth and after swallowing, said, "It's not practice, it's training."

"What exactly is the difference?" Aiko asked.

"Practice is doing what you already know. Training is learning something new." Sasuke told her.

"Oh, can I trouble you for some tea?" Fugaku asked Mikoto.

"Sure!" Mikoto said cheerfully.

"Make it hot, too."

"All right."

"Okaasan, please apologize to your family for me." Aiko said as she pushed some food scraps around with her chopsticks, "I'm not really... used to grandparents, so... I'm gonna stay with my brothers."

Mikoto smiled gently at her. "I understand, Aiko."

兄弟

The sound of a kunai striking the target on the back wall filled the garden.

"Now you try it. Just like that." Itachi told his siblings.

Sasuke grunted as he threw his kunai, landing closer to the center than Itachi had. Aiko grunted as she threw her own a moment later.

"Sasuke, Aiko, you've gotten good!" Itachi said.

Sasuke chuckled and rubbed his nose with a kunai in his hand. "I can throw better than Kaasan, now."

"That's a good way to scratch yourself." Aiko said flatly before glaring at the kunai she had thrown, farther off than that of Sasuke and Itachi's and more to the point, further down.

"Then, how about this?" Itachi asked.

"Huh?" Sasuke asked as he looked up at Itachi.

Itachi smiled at them before throwing four kunai with each hand, outlining the curve of the target. He then threw two more, with one landing in the center, the second kunai dangling from it by the ring on its handle.

"You're amazing after all, Niisan!" Sasuke exclaimed. "How did you do that?"

"You'll start throwing like that very soon." Itachi said confidently as he smiled at the two of them, "You're both a lot like me." He smiled fondly at them and Sasuke flushed with pleasure. Aiko, however, was still glaring at where her own kunai had landed.

"Itachi-niichan, these kunai are heavy." She said in frustration, "Throwing them hard enough to even hit the target makes my shoulders hurt, and even then, I can't hit the middle."

"Really?" Itachi asked, kneeling behind his sister and gently placing a hand on her shoulder, causing her to wince. "Sorry." He apologized, "You should stop for now if it's hurting, Aiko. Maybe we should ice it too. You're smaller than Sasuke and you don't have as much muscle mass as he does. Well, that much is natural since you're a girl and you're almost a year younger. The next time I go to Sora-ku, I'll see if Nekobaa has anything that would be more useable for you."

"Okay."

兄弟

"Niisan, teach us again like today." Sasuke said that evening as the three of them sat on the engawa.

"Sure. When I have time." Itachi replied.

"Promise?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah." Itachi said. "Do you know how the Uchiha Clan came about?" He asked after a moment.

"Huh?" Sasuke said in surprise before answering, "I haven't really learned about it properly yet, but..."

"The Uchiha Crest is the symbol and proof of our prestigious clan." Itachi told him.

"Huh? The image of a fan is... prestigious?" Sasuke asked.

"You need wind to start a fire, right?" Itachi said, "You produce wind with a fan."

"Is that... amazing?" Sasuke asked in confusion, and Itachi laughed.

"Well, you'll understand in time." Itachi said.

"Niisan, do you fight for the sake of the clan?" Sasuke asked.

"I wonder..." Itachi replied, "I'm not sure about that either, just yet." He admitted.

The eyes of all three children widened at the sound of Sasuke's stomach growling, and Itachi laughed as Sasuke's expression turned embarrassed.

"All right! I'm going to make us a feast tonight!" Itachi announced before standing up.

Aiko smiled as she watched her brothers head inside, standing up to follow them.

_'If Sasuke-niichan is fire, then Naruto-kun is surely the wind. He will certainly make Sasuke-niichan stronger.' _She frowned in thought and looked at the sky. _'Naruto-kun... I'm counting on you to make the fire of the Uchiha stronger than ever before.'_

兄弟

"Ow! Hot!" Itachi yelped slightly as he carried a bowl of stew over to the dining table, which was already laden with golden fried rice, a roasted whole bird, and a variety of seafood.

"You made all of this, Niisan?" Sasuke asked in bemusement.

"Yeah..." Itachi replied. "Maybe I went a little overboard?"

"A little, huh?" Sasuke asked in amusement.

"I didn't even know we had this much food in the house..." Aiko remarked in bewilderment, "Itachi-niichan, when did you even learn how to cook all of this?"

"Ah... I used to look after Sasuke and myself a lot before I entered the Academy." Itachi told her.

兄弟

Itachi's overblown efforts to feed his siblings left both Sasuke and Aiko sitting on the porch with swollen stomachs.

"I'm stuffed." Sasuke said flatly.

"I can't believe we ate all that." Aiko said.

Both she and Sasuke looked up at the sound of fabric dropping beside them and saw that Itachi had brought his bedding out to the engawa.

"Hey, Sasuke, Aiko, do you want to sleep outside tonight?" He asked.

"Huh?" Sasuke looked up at his brother's smiling face. "Are you sure it's okay to do that?" Itachi nodded and Sasuke gasped in excitement, quickly getting to his feet and running inside to get his own bedding.

"Hey, hey, there's no need to rush like that!" Itachi warned before Sasuke promptly fell flat on his face.

"Ow!" The younger boy yelled, and Itachi couldn't help smiling fondly in amusement. Suddenly he looked down as he felt Aiko grabbing his shirt.

"Oniichan, if we're sleeping outside tonight, can I sleep in your bed?" She asked.

Itachi smiled gently and stroked his sister's hair. Although he was hoping to help her relax a little since she'd clearly been traumatized by the fire, he understood that she was afraid of sleeping outside unless she was directly next to him. "Yeah."

兄弟

"Are you cold?" Itachi asked Sasuke after the three of them had settled in.

"No... This feels great." Sasuke replied. They listened to the crickets chirping for a moment before Sasuke spoke again. "I want to become a skilled shinobi like you and have Tousan acknowledge me."

Itachi chuckled, "Like me?" He stared up at the full moon, "You will surpass me." He affirmed.

"Impossible, not possible." Sasuke insisted. "After all, you're a genius, Niisan. Everyone says so."

Itachi laughed, "You're a lot like me. You've got the potential." He told him.

"Itachi-niichan is right." Aiko said from where she was snuggled at Itachi's side, "Sasuke-niichan, your chakra is special. It's very powerful."

Sasuke smiled, blushing slightly at the encouragement from his siblings, "Then, I'll do that."

Itachi glanced over at his younger brother and smiled, "Sasuke... Sasuke?" Itachi sat up and looked at his brother, only to realize that the younger child was already asleep. He smiled softly and laid back down, once again allowing Aiko to snuggle close to him for comfort.

兄弟

Autumn came to an end and winter followed, and with it, came a new friend.

兄弟

"If you're the daughter of the Hyuuga, then show us your Byakugan!" A young boy exclaimed.

"If you don't want to, then don't look our way!" His friend added.

"They're creepy aren't they? Those eyes?" Another boy said. The dark-haired girl standing before them began to tear up, but they just kept going.

"I bet you're actually a demon, right?" Said the first boy.

"Yeah, you're a Byakugan demon!" The second agreed. The little girl began to sob, causing the boys to burst out laughing as she curled up on the ground, weeping pitifully.

It was a snowy winter day in the grove of trees near the Academy, and nobody was around to help the poor girl.

Well, that wasn't entirely true.

Naruto was playing on a swing nearby when he saw what was happening. Without a moment's hesitation, he jumped off of the swing and ran over to the three older kids who were bullying the little girl.

"Hey! Knock it off!" He demanded.

The older boys turned toward the younger one clumsily running toward them and the little girl looked up.

"Huh?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" The blond declared, "The future Hokage-ttebayo!"

The older boys smirked as they approached him slowly.

"The future Hokage?" The leader taunted.

"Are you stupid?" The third boy asked.

"Get ready!" Naruto warned them as he formed a sign, "Kage bushin no jutsu!" In a puff of smoke, two copies of Naruto appeared. The problem was... they were tiny. Only three inches tall, at best.

"Come at me-ttebayo!" One of them squeaked.

"~Ttebayo!" The other echoed.

The three boys cracked up laughing as Naruto stared at his miniature clones in utter shock and humiliation. He looked up at the sound of one of them running toward him.

"Why you!" The leader of the three boys exclaimed, throwing his fist toward Naruto's face...

兄弟

The three boys were still pounding on Naruto when Aiko arrived with Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino. The five of them had been planning to meet in the grove so that they could play together in the snow. Seeing what was happening, Aiko immediately ran toward the boys.

"Hey! Leave Naruto-kun alone!"

"Huh?" The three boys looked over at the four kids approaching them, the one in the lead being a tiny brunette.

"Who are you?" One of the boys asked.

"Mind your own business!" The leader said.

"I'm Uchiha Aiko, and I'm not gonna let you keep beating up my friend!" She declared.

"Oh? I didn't know that Uchihas made friends with losers like this." The leader remarked.

"Yeah, I thought they only hung out with elites." Said the third boy.

Aiko growled angrily. "I said... leave him alone!" Her Sharingan spun to the surface and the three boys immediately freaked out before they turned tail and ran. "Cowards!" Aiko called as she scooped up some snow and packed it into a ball, "Big babies!" She chucked the snowball at one of them, hitting him square in the head. "Not so tough when faced with a fair fight, are you?!" She beaned the other two as well.

"A-Aiko-chan..." Naruto managed as he sat up, "Calm down-ttebayo!"

"Aiko, stop using your Sharingan before you pass out or walking all the way out here will have been pointless." Sasuke told her.

Aiko sighed, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to calm down so that her Sharingan receded. "Sorry." She said as she offered a hand to Naruto, "They just made me so mad. Naruto-kun, you need to work on your taijutsu. I know we're not in the Academy yet, but there's no reason for you to lose to a bunch of chickens like that."

Naruto sweat-dropped, "Y-Yeah... I guess you're right."

Aiko walked over to the other girl and held out her hand. "Are you all right?"

"Uh, yes." The girl said as she accepted Aiko's hand and the smaller child helped her to her feet. "You're... you're amazing... you already have your Sharingan, and..."

Aiko shook her head, "The Sharingan isn't like your clan's Byakugan. Awakening it has nothing to do with training or talent. Actually, for someone my age to already have it is actually rather pitiable..." She looked a bit sad, but quickly brightened up and smiled at the girl, "I'm Aiko. What's your name?"

"Oh! Uh... Hyuuga... Hinata..."

"Hinata-chan, huh?" Aiko said with a smile, "Would you like to play in the snow with us?"

"Huh? Really?"

"Of course!" Aiko said with a cheerful smile, "Besides, one more person makes the number just perfect! Now we have enough people to have a snowball fight in teams!"

"Do we have to have a snowball fight right _now_?" Naruto whined, rubbing at his swollen face.

Aiko sighed. "Use the snow to ice your face, Naruto-kun. If it gets too cold, let me know, and I'll warm it back up. Your face I mean. Warming up the snow won't do much good."

"Eh? How can you warm his face up, Aiko-chan?" Ino asked.

"I'll show you." Aiko said as she took off her mittens and gathered a bit of snow into both hands. She focused intently on her hands and they began to glow a pale blue with chakra. A moment later, the snow melted and she allowed the water to fall to the ground in front of her. The other children looked on in amazement.

"Amazing, Aiko-chan!"

"How did you do that?" Sasuke wanted to know.

"I just gathered chakra into my hands, that's all." Aiko told him as she waved her hands, still glowing, to get the water off. "Itachi-niichan taught me that the Uchiha are cloaked in fire-based chakra, so our chakra is naturally warm to start with. It's not enough to burn anything without learning Katon, but it can be used for things like melting snow or warming cold cheeks." She put her mittens back on.

"Eh? Really?" Sakura asked.

"It's so cool that you know that much about your own chakra!" Ino added.

"Hey, hey, Aiko-chan, what kind of chakra do I have? Do you know?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto-kun, you're best suited to Fuuton." Aiko told him, "But you have so much chakra that I bet you could learn Suiton or Doton pretty easily too."

"What about me?" Sakura asked.

"I think you're probably best suited to Suiton, Sakura-chan, but you're the opposite of Naruto. You don't have very much chakra at all. Apparently, that's pretty common in your clan though."

"How can you tell this about everyone?" Ino asked.

"It's something I've learned to analyze with my Sharingan." Aiko told her, "Ino-chan, you'd be best at Doton. That probably has something to do with your clan's connection to flowers." She looked over at Hinata. "I happened to catch a glimpse of your chakra when I was chasing off those bullies, Hinata-chan. Your specialty is Raiton, which is unusual, because the Hyuuga, like the Uchiha, are a clan that mostly specialize in Katon. That's why your crest has a flame in it. Although I think you could learn Katon." She looked over at Sasuke, "Sasuke-niichan, you have an unusually high aptitude for Raiton as well. I mean, a lot of Uchiha possess the capacity, but I'm not even sure if you're more suited to Raiton or Katon. Then again, like I told you before, your chakra is kind of special."

"Special? What do you mean, Aiko-chan?" Naruto asked, now holding some snow to his cheek as she had instructed.

"Huh? Oh, um... I just mean that the composition of his chakra is a bit more complex than most people's." Aiko said with a sweat-drop. To her relief, her friends bought this explanation and let it drop. Before long, the six of them were happily playing in the snow, making snow angels, building a snowman, and eventually having that snowball fight that Aiko had wanted. After a while, however, Naruto, Sakura, Ino, and Hinata got too cold to continue playing and decided to go home, so Sasuke and Aiko headed back to the compound.

"Winter's fun, isn't it Sasuke-niichan?" Aiko asked as she walked alongside her brother.

"Eh, it's okay." Sasuke remarked, "But it's hard to get any training done in this weather. I'm not a genjutsu-type like you."

"That's true." Aiko replied, "But I'm not in any hurry for spring to come. Not yet."

"Why not?" Sasuke asked.

"Because when spring comes, you guys will start at the Academy, and I'll be by myself." She kicked at some snow with her boot, "Even when you come home, you'll have homework. None of you will have time to play and train with me like now."

Sasuke grinned cheekily, "Maybe you should spend that time learning how to cook from Kaasan. That hotpot you tried to make was a disaster."

Aiko glared at him indignantly.

* * *

Well, this wraps up the childhood portion of the story. Onto the genin portion! I originally planned on making this part of the story much longer, but it occurred to me that it was just kind of... pointless. We don't need to go through all five years of Sasuke being in school before moving onto the genin part. So keep an eye out for A Different Destiny, Part II, which will be listed as a separate fan fic for easier readability.


End file.
